Welcome back to my humble website. In case you did not know, today is National Organize Your Home Day. I certainly do appreciate the reminder. When I moved into my current residence, I brought a huge amount of stuff with me. At the time, everything seems precious and vital to my happiness. Those times are long over.
At this stage of my life, I want to simplify everything. For those who did not know, during my working years I carried a lot of excess weight around with me. I blame the corporate culture. When I worked for Sperian International, I traveled a lot. The corporate headquarters was in Paris, France. As any of you who have been there, Paris is a magical place, at least during the times I was there. I also traveled to Sweden, Norway, Austria, Slovakia, and Brazil. When you are traveling on company business, you always end up eating at great restaurants. You swallow a lot of that culture and it shows.
That adventure ended abruptly when Honeywell acquired Sperian. If you know anyone who worked at that company, you know most former employees say it’s a great to company to have worked for. Being there isn’t so great.
Yes, I know I changed the subject, but I wanted to share the context of the situation. For two years or so, I was at home. My ex (wife at the time) eats like a bird. I spent so much time with her that my eating habits changed and I lost a lot of weight. I feel great by the way.
Still, I was encumbered by a lot of other stuff. Recently, I realized that most of it has to go. Much of my extra large clothing is already gone. But I still have a ton of things to go through. Most will end up in the trash or given to charity. My goal is to lighten the load before I decide to move to Florida, or wherever. It does not make sense to carry my junk around forever. If I do decide to move, I will also be saving money on the move.
I mentioned before a failed deal I had with Barnes & Noble Nook Press. I ended up with a slew of copies of my earlier books. I mean a LOT of BOOKS. I have already set aside enough copies to keep. The rest is truly trash. At first, it bothered me to throw them away. After I got rid of the first batch, I felt relieved. All the books are still available online, so nothing is really lost. Plus, the ever-present memory of the Nook Press fiasco still grates on me. Once those copies are gone, I will be able to let that go.
I have mentioned before that I now lead a very simple life. That suits me just fine. All the old clothes and books are just in the way. I also have a large number of hardcover books that I purchased over the years. While I feel a connection to them, I know they will be better used by others or in a library. I will likely keep the few cookbooks I still have, and my Hitchhiker’s Guide books. Those were always my favorites. One of these days, I will announce my success. Then I will have more time to focus on what is really important in my life. I wish you all the best!
Please take some time to review the posts by the other awesome RRBC authors who are participating in this challenge with me. I know you will love their stories, probably better than mine. You can click the link below to check them out.
What you’re doing is wise, Karl. It makes sense to declutter. I, however, am not so wise. Way too many books fill our house, along with some other things we really don’t need but like having around. Such is life.
Karen, it is a tough decision. Mine is being dictated by my age and my potential plan to move out of California. It will be cheaper to move with less junk. Best to trash it sooner than later.
I did a huge cleanup last year and shredded tons of sensitive outdated documents. You always accumulate a lot when in one place a long time.
Well, it’s late night here and I am in bed watching a documentary. Sleep tight!
My ex and I are getting rid of tons of old documents too. It all seems so odd since everything is online nowadays. How did we ever survive all that paper? I’m considering using Iron Mountain or another shredding service to get rid of it all in one fell swoop.
My parents are in the process of getting rid of stuff as well because they want to move to a condo on the beach and don’t want to take clutter with them. They have a LOT of things to go through. Lol! I hope you are successful at decluttering, Karl.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Gratefully, my mound of junk is pretty small. Still, it’s stuff I will never use. Out it goes!
Hi, Karl,
Good luck with your de-cluttering. Your first step has been done and that is the big deciding factor.
The food in France is still marvelous. Most European restaurants are excellent.
Have a lovely day, and take care.
Shalom shalom
Pat, I remember when my company had a finance meeting in Lyon. There are no words to describe how wonderful the food was there. Still, I have no desire to return there. As many French would say, Paris would be wonderful if it wasn’t full of Parisians.
Karl
You are a very organised man Karl and that is so good. I hesitate when it comes to getting rid of stuff and invariably don’t. Therefore I have oodles of clothes I never wear. I shall take a leaf from your book and start to get rid and will take a load to the charity shops.
Joy, deciding to get rid of the excess baggage is difficult. I have been ignoring the problem for years. Now, I am beginning to see how that stuff is just in the way or more stuff that I could buy! No. Just kidding…
Karl
All this decluttering we’re talking about is impossible to do in a single day. It should be called Declutter Month or Declutter Quarter. Even then, it may not be enough time. Have you ever watched that show on TV about Hoarders? Now that’s where some serious decluttering needs to take place. The owners are usually horrified that they must depart with certain items…which is normally every last piece they have. I promised myself that I would NEVER be like them.
Getting rid of the baggage is hard. We get so connected to stuff, which is why hoarders live such regrettable lives. My excess stuff is not too great, and I relish lightening the load. But it is not easy.
Karl
Hi, Karl,
I laughed at your comment, “You swallow a lot of that culture and it shows.” When we moved to Florida, we visited many great restaurants from many cultures. It also shows. When I lived in Europe, I guess I burned off the culture much more easily. Of course, that was many years ago.
I admire you for decluttering and living simply. My problem isn’t being willing to toss the clutter. It’s having time to gather it up and decide what to toss. Someday…
Blessings,