This is our garage. Looking at it for the first time, it looks like a giant mess. However, two weeks ago the workbench was piled high with stuff, there was a mountain of boxes in the middle of the floor, there was a bathroom vanity and sink, 6 or 7 large suitcases, and a variety of other unused items. What you see now is a project that is three-fourths of the way completed. Many items have been pushed to the side for a yard sale, several bags have been filled with trash, and 700+ items have been given to charity or to someone who could use them.
I am a keeper of stuff and have been all of my life. I grow attached to things easily and don't want to part with them. Some of these boxes have been moved from place to place for 50 years because I simply could not part with the contents.
In the past two weeks I have opened boxes and picked up each item and looked at it. Some of them made me laugh and I was able to relay a story about each one. Some of them made me sad and also had a story. Some I looked at and realized I had no feelings about whatsoever. Being able to part with such a large number of things that have been taking up space in my life for so many years has been a wonderfully freeing thing. I haven't purged everything in that garage, but I now feel much less overwhelmed because the things that are left are meaningful and are organized!
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