Sentimental Values

I am going back in time a little bit, but I have a few other thoughts on living simply and being content.

I continue to find things I do not need. Even though most of our stuff is in boxes, ready to go whenever God says “go,” but I still find things that I think “I don’t need this.” So why do I still have it? Sentimental value, baby! How much in life do you have only because you can’t seem to just LET IT GO?

Here are a few questions/food for thought as you go through all of your stuff.

Do you collect too much that you don’t even have space for it all? If you do, then ask yourself:

•         Why are you keeping this certain item?

Does this specific item bring back good or bad memories?

• Does it spur you on to do something or to wallow in the past?

Is the item meaningful or does it just take up space?

Is it something you would ever display? Or is it just going to sit in a box? I have downsized in this area incredibly! I do have a bin of childhood things, but some things I had, that I had no idea I had. I knew it was time to get rid of it. To me, if I don’t miss it, and if I haven’t missed it for 10 years, it’s time to get rid of it!

Would someone else benefit by having this item? I think this is where a more giving heart can be born. Instead of hanging onto something, look at it and think “who could use this more than I could?”

Do you plan on passing it on to another generation? If not, why are you keeping it?

If you keep it, will you ever see it again? Here’s the whole “box” issue. If it’s just going to sit in a box, have no generational value, or give you no feelings when you see it, don’t keep it because you probably won’t see it again anyways.

How about your photos?

• Are they important to you?
• Only print photos that you will put in a book. This has taken me awhile to apply! Since I started scrapbooking, I’ve realized that I don’t have as many pictures in boxes. I recently went through ALL of my pictures in boxes and threw away the ones I had no attachment to. If you get the chance, I would do this! It’s fun, it helps you clear out, and it’s refreshing!
• Maybe spend money on blowing up a picture from your vacation instead of buying a souvenir. Why do you buy a souvenir? For me, it’s to remember the trip. Well, I think a blown-up picture does a much better job of bringing me “back” to that moment in time than a stuffed animal or keychain. That is just my personal opinion, but I have learned to not get too into souvenirs b/c they end up taking space that I could use for something else.

I hope this gives you just a few ideas to think about. Why do you have an item? What attachment do you have to it? And I hope you are able to continue to figure out your own personal ways on how to live a simple and contented life.