Life this past four months in California has been devoid of the years' worth of, well, accumulation of stuff. Day to day activities seem to feel a bit more light-hearted when I'm not seeing all the things I have to do, haven't finished, or should have parted with years ago. You understand, probably. Most of us have a little of this stuff hanging around.
I made a pact with myself at the beginning of 2010: I would use the entire year to absolve myself of all the stuff I don't really need to have anymore. That clearly fell off the calendar. Yesterday I started Plan B. I am referring to this plan, lovingly, as decrapping. This term seems to give me a certain freedom to be a little more liberal in getting rid of things. I'm thinking about submitting it to the next Oxford English Dictionary, a term reserved for those of us who, well, treasure things a little longer than most. What do you think?
Plan B is a multi-phase plan (please know I'll be creating the plan as I go). Phase I began yesterday down at the shop, where the detritus from the yarn shop still lurks. Notebooks full of things no longer needed, a pile of one page patterns that didn't sell, drawers with oddments of office supplies, old files, notebooks, and boxes full of yarn company samples need to be dealt with in one way or another. I have two drawers full of brand new knitting needles, a box of leftover knitting books and audio tapes, some knitted shop samples, and yes, there's still that pesky matter of the yarn that's left.
Yesterday was spent down there beginning Phase I. I am headed there again this morning, and plan to spend as many days in the two weeks I'm in here Taos working on this project. I'll pretend it's the spring cleaning I didn't do before leaving for California. It'll also be really great to come back, later in the fall, and not have to face such a monster mess.
And speaking of spring...I was stunned to come back last week and see my rose bush is still cranking out the blooms up here at almost 8,000 ft, right on the edge of fall. Who would have ever thought? Oh...and I love the reflection in the kitchen windows...saved me taking a cloud photo for you!
8 comments:
Martie:
Are you sure the word is not "de-crap-itating"?
Decrapitating. I love it.
I decrapitate along the way and post the goods to Ebay and sell without alot of fuss. Plus it gives me new jingle to spend on things I want and need today!
Ones mans junk is another man's treasure.
Plus I know, if "we clean our shelves" - new and better things will come to us. My psychic is always telling me this.
It's a very mighty and wonderful thing to be doing.
Don't you wish we had a place to go where we could crapswap?
Good thoughts, my friend. Your rosebush looks lovely.
Decrapping! I love that word. I've started doing it at my house too. Fill up a big bag and donate it to Savers - a local second-hand store whose proceeds go to the Epilepsy Foundation.
Good luck with your continued decrapping efforts Martie!
I love that word.....decrapping - it covers so many situations!! I have been trying to do a bit of that this year. Good luck. I hope you are more committed to it than I am!
Sending positive vibes your way. I had a similar plan for my summer. Now that summer is slipping away, I've had to resort to my own Plan B.
Post an update - I'm curious if you'll come up with any creative ways to get rid of things.
Decrapping - if Rachel Ray can get EVOO added to the dictionary decrapping certainly deserves a place!
I decrapped my studio a few months ago and got rid of mountains of stuff from one of my former lives as a crafter - before I became a quilter. It is liberating - good luck with your Plan B.
I have been contemplating doing this since my youngest left for college. Someone called it reverse nesting. Thanks for sharing how good it feels...that's the motivation I needed to start letting go.
Dear Deb M-V: Do it! You'll feel so good when it's finished, I promise!!! Let me know if you need moral support along the way!
:0)
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