So many of us (myself included) are keeping things in our homes that we are saving and not using. We are saving for a special occasion or until it fits or for ‘someday.’ But how are those things serving us? Those items are now a burden and we’ve attached higher expectations to them. That doesn’t seem right, does it? Of course, some items to have a higher value and we want to honor them, like the fine china on a special occasion or the nice wine, but then they’re sitting there unused, wasted, and now clutter. I’m sure you’ve read the email that goes around occasionally about how life is short and you should drink the wine and use the good china. What if we all decided to value and celebrate our lives TODAY?! What if we used what we have and didn’t save things for special occasions that don’t ever seem to happen? What if we valued ourselves and not the stuff? What if we made any occasion special?
Here are some examples of how this ‘saving for special occasions’ and high expectations affect me:
- I have some wine that I think deserves a special occasion and sometimes I think about opening it, but then I wonder, “Is this special enough?” It’s so strange that I would let my perceived value of a bottle of wine decide for me, what is special or not. And the truth is, the wine could be going bad as we speak. I’ve made every effort to store it properly (dark, cool space), but it’s not in a cellar or a wine cooler. Wouldn’t it be great if I decided that I wanted to celebrate something that isn’t particularly ‘special’ like overcoming a hurdle, making a tough decision or doing something I’d been putting off (yes, I do that too). I would be celebrating me and using a ‘nice’ bottle of wine to make it more special for me.
- Another thing I’m ‘saving’ are the candles I have as part of my decor. I do love how they look and how my space looks when I burn them, especially because it helps create a more relaxing atmosphere. But I rarely burn them. Why? I don’t want to use them up or waste them. I sit here and enjoy looking at them and I do enjoying the idea of using them, but that isn’t enough. I have made something that is very affordable and highly replaceable into a ‘special occasion’ item. So why don’t I light the candles and use them for their intended purpose, especially if I enjoy it? It takes a mind shift, but I’m going to work on it. I promise. I will burn the candles!
- I’ve been much better lately about using gift cards and certificates. I used to save them for ‘something special’ but now I don’t put too much pressure on myself and high expectations on what I purchase anymore.
- I have some entertaining items that I don’t use often. Mostly because I try and keep it casual for the guests and my effort required. But it really wouldn’t be that much harder to use the nicer placemats, the cloth napkins and napkin rings. I would be using the items I have and claim to love and my guests would feel good because I took a little extra effort to make an everyday dinner a little more special.
What are you going to start using to enjoy your everyday, starting today? Remove the expectations from your stuff and take the ‘clutter’ label off it by using it. Decide what you really want to use. You may have changed since you bought all the cloth napkins and you don’t want to use them. You may not even like the fine china anymore and it doesn’t fit your lifestyle. Take back the control, release the burden and let it go! Move on and realize how great you’ll feel when you do. It’s just stuff after all.
I vow to make the extra effort and to regain the control over deciding what is a special occasion just because I said so. Comment below with what you’re getting rid of or to make your pledge for what you WILL start using to start celebrating your life today because it is special and you deserve it!
Happy Organizing (and celebrating!)!
