~TO SAVE OR NOT TO SAVE~
No doubt some of you have caught a glimpse of the current television show depicting people across our land who have become Hoarders. If I'm being honest with you I never really thought about such a thing being possible. Not to the extent I've seen on the show anyway...
Yesterday I received my annual flu shot and it did exactly what they do to me each and every year. It brought about a full 3 hour long nap right in the middle of my day causing me to be wide awake at 1:00AM. This of course led to really late-night TV watching and that is how I ended up catching the latest episode about Hoarding.
As I followed the camera it spanned mountains and mountains of STUFF and I was more than shocked by what I saw. Trash and junk, papers, boxes, bins, food, clothing as well as heaven knows what else was piled so high the person who lived in the home, well...couldn't LIVE in the home! What I saw with my own two eyes was overwhelming. How in the world can anyone allow their home to become a sanctuary of trash? It was then I realized the very home I was seeing on the screen, and the woman being featured on the show, lived in my own home town. That is why she looked familiar to me...I've seen her about many times while I've been out tag sale shopping...
Now...I'm not a true 'collector' of things. Although I have many pretty pink roses plates and cups and an array of decorative finds around my home everything is in order and they are displayed in a way where they can be truly enjoyed. I don't like it when even the things I love begin to crowd in on me and that leads me to purge my closets and cabinets on a fairly routine basis. This also keeps me from over-buying as nothing can upset me more than tossing out something purchased with my hard-earned money I once felt I couldn't live without... It can be a bit painful to realize that in the end I didn't want or need the item after all. Worse yet is knowing something is languishing in a box that is rarely seen or even remembered. This keeps my garage from becoming overwrought with treasures...both the good kind and the kind that need to be hauled straight away to the garbage dump.
However...there is one thing I struggle to let go of and even before the show I've wondered what to do about it...
~HOW LONG DO YOU SAVE...and WHAT?~
I do believe I have every greeting card ever given to me from my hubbs and every card I've given to him since the day we married in 1978. In addition, I also think I have every card or note given to me from my children and parents as well. Trust me when I tell you that's a lot of paper and it takes up several bins stored in my attic. Up until last night I just couldn't bear the thought of letting them go. Now~in no way do I believe that holding onto such treasured keepsakes is hoarding. But I can understand, even on the smallest of levels, how collecting and saving can get totally out of control. The local woman I saw on the show feels about everything she has on her property the same way I feel about my old love notes and greeting cards...
This morning, no longer even a tad-bit sedated by yesterday's injection, I feel clear minded and more focused. I'm more determined than ever to haul those boxes and bins out from their hiding place and whittle their contents down. Now...I'm not about to toss out truly treasured keepsakes...never, never! But I do believe it's time do a little intense organization and place them in scrapbook form! I'm quite sure even I'm going to be surprised with all I find.
Blessings as you begin to choose more carefully the things you give a place of honor within your earthly home...
Love to you~
