Wednesday, February 08, 2017

The things we keep

The decluttering project we did last year was almost painful at times. We tossed books, novelties, electronics, and other things we no longer need but kept "Just In Case."  Once we finished the project, our house breathed easier. 

There were random things that we kept. An iron dragon bottle/can opener that we've never used is still hanging on the rack by the back door. While is doesn't serve the purpose for which it was intended, it is a unique piece of art that a friend, who is a blacksmith, made for me. 

In my office on the top of one of the bookshelves, is a small basket of sea shells that we've collected through the years. They really serve no purpose except to remind us of the beach which is a special place that we love to visit. 

I would toss a lot of things before I tossed these shells.

I'm curious. Are there things around you that serve no useful purpose, but you can't bear to let them go?


15 comments:

  1. Oh yes, my husband can't bear to let anything go even when it's broken, sigh. Everywhere he goes he takes home more junk that we don't need like pens and note pads and more calendar than we need, useless little trinkets that sits on the shelf gathering dust and cluttering. If there an inch he has something to put there. Help...
    Hugs, Julia

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  2. I have cards that I keep for years from family & friends. Ever so often, I start to purge items in my home. I look at those cards and think I need to get rid of them and then I read them. They bring back great memories and I just can't throw them away. Back into the box the cards go. I'll save them until another day.

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  3. Don't get me started. My wife has a storage unit of crap that costs us every month. Expensive to store, but not worth risking the relationship.

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  4. There are dozens of items in our home I can't get rid of-------yet!

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  5. Where would I start? I attach myself to my belongings and it is painful to try to part with them. A gift from one of my grandchildren, a school paper from one of my children, my father's robe. There are a couple of small rocks that called to me. An old sock with a hole in the heel. I'll never wear it but maybe I will need it someday. I think I might qualify as a hoarder.

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  6. Yes there are far too many things I want to keep. I've tossed and given away a lot but still when moving to a much smaller place, I must give up more! Not an easy thing but necessary. Having less in the end will mean having more...

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  7. Yep. An official seal of the USN (3" solid brass) found and given to me by a friend. A quart of old dead hearing aid batteries, and about 2 million other small objects. LOL
    Good one.

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  8. I tend to have a lot of stationary and recently bought a box full knowing I never even write letters. Ya just never know when you will need to send someone a quick note. other than that, I usually get rid of things I never use.
    Lisa.

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  9. I do have boxes and boxes of cards I received over the years and hate to let them go, and enough furniture for two homes.

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  10. I have one glass jar with sea shells in it and another with stones my daughter polished when we gave her a rock polisher for Christmas. They are on shelves in my living room. They don't serve a useful purpose, but they make me happy. I'm pretty good about decluttering on a regular basis, but some things can't go because of an emotional attachment.

    Love,
    Janie

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  11. Shells have stories to tell, so keep them. Who knows where they have been what they have seen.

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  12. Yes, absolutely. No rhyme or reason, but there are a few precious objects with which I'd be loathe to part.
    No accounting for taste. LOL!

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  13. I have a bunch of those bear-shaped honey jars, metal opening "keys" from Spam cans, and there is a waffle iron under the bed.

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  14. Anonymous3:33 PM

    Do you mean besides my husband?

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  15. I have a few of those items that I keep for sentimental reasons too ... they bring good memories xox

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