Decluttering

A few years ago I started signing off my blog and newsletters with the line, “To a lighter load along the way.”

It’s more than just a nice phrase – it’s a daily reminder. A promise to travel through life without the weight of unnecessary burdens.

This idea came to me because of the stories I read as a child about the pioneers going across the country in covered wagons.

Their story offers a powerful lesson about decluttering, simplicity, and the courage it takes to let go.

 

Pioneer’s High Hopes

The pioneers had high hopes of starting a new life in a new land.

So they packed their wagons with everything they thought they would need for the journey and their new land. These were the things they had worked hard for or had a lot of meaning to them and didn’t want to leave behind.

The only problem was, they couldn’t tell what truly was a need or what was only a want. Therefore, they stuffed their wagons to the brim.

As they soon found out, the animals (horses, oxen, mules) that pulled the wagons could only handle some much weight. When they traveled along the hot dry prairies, those poor animals began to really struggle. If they were going further west, they needed to get through the mountains before the cold long winters hit. And those mountain trails were treacherous.

The only way to save their animals and keep the pioneers from being stranded in the middle of nowhere, they had to start lightening their loads.

Thus, the sides of wagon trails soon became littered with castoff furniture, books, clothing, cooking pots, and once-precious items.

It was heartbreaking but also necessary. It was a matter of survival of the animals and the humans.

In other words, they had to let go of the unnecessary to insure the possibility of the future.

 

A Matter of Survival

The pioneers learned the hard way. Letting go of the past was a matter of survival. They had no choice if they wanted to see their dreams of the future.

Today, we don’t face the same kind of dangers when moving.  It’s easy to load up moving trucks and carry our past with us, wherever we go.

As a result, we don’t have to worry about the past keeping us from the journey to the future.

Or do we?

We may not have wagons full of goods, but we do have closets, drawers, cabinets, garages, basements, and storage units packed to the brim. And all this physical stuff may lead us to carry the invisible clutter – guilt, regret, “someday” dreams, and emotional weight that keeps us from moving forward.

I have felt it myself.

• It has weighed me down mentally.
• It has keep me from moving forward towards my dreams.
• It’s made me think, “I should do this (declutter) before I can do that (create, relax, have fun).” 

Sound familiar?

We are more like the pioneers of the old west than we think. We can’t move toward our dreams if we’re overloaded with yesterday’s baggage.

 

Dumping the Heavy Loads

Traveling west in a cover wagon was the ultimate downsizing. The wagons were small so every item had to earn it’s place.

When the pioneers finally let go of what they didn’t need, their chances of reaching their new life increased tremendously.

In many ways the same is true for us today. Those heavy loads of clutter from our past weigh us down so much, they can keep us from reaching our own dreams.

It’s time to dump the heavy loads!

• Clothes we don’t wear because they don’t fit or we don’t like.
• Books, toys, entertainment items we no longer use.
• Sentimental guilt items – gifts or inherited things we feel obligated (but don’t love) to keep.

It’s not always the item that’s heavy, but the guilt attached to it.

If you truly love something, keep it and enjoy it. But if you don’t, ask yourself:

• Am I keeping this to avoid hurting someone’s feelings (even if that person is no longer alive)?
• Are their feelings or words more important than my peace of mind today?

Only you can decide which is more important. Either way, it’s time to let go of the guilt and probably the item!

 

All Those Little Things Add Up

Both my mother and mother-in-law had lived in their homes for 35 plus years. Since neither of them had moved or downsized, there was a lot of accumulation over the years. Even with some decluttering during those years, things still quietly added up.

After they passed away, I had to help clean out their homes.  It was difficult emotionally and physically. But it helped give me a different perspective on my own things. I don’t want to leave all my unnecessary things in my home for my children to deal with.

Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how much all these items add up. Just ask anyone who has had to pack up their home for a move. Anyone who has had to stage their home to sell it, most likely had to pack up the “extras” so it would be more appealing to potential buyers.

All those little things, even the ones we barely notice day to day, will add up.

 

Lighten Your Load Now!

If you want a lighter load along the way, it’s time to start letting go.

Make those decisions now while you have the energy, clarity, and peace of mind to do it with intention.  Then you may never have to make those decisions while in a desperate point of choosing the past over the future.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors