Decluttering Emotionally Charged Stuff
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My son (who is 16 years old now!) has a dwindling collection of kitties (figurines) that he collected in his boyhood. A couple of weeks ago two of his kitties, a pair of black porcelain cats, mysteriously appeared on my desk. I inquired and he told me that he just really didn’t want them anymore.
Well, I didn’t really want the kitties either, to be honest, but still my heart kind of ached at the idea of getting rid of things that once held meaning for my used-to-be-little boy. The kitties spent the last two weeks on my otherwise uncluttered desk.
Today I had a flash of brilliance. We live on a busy street with lots of pedestrian traffic, and lots of kids. I passed the kitties over to my husband and asked him to walk them a block or two away and find a wall to put them on next to the sidewalk. In my imaginings, a child would find the kitties and treasure them (for a while at least). Thinking this, I could part with the figurines. “But take a picture!” I begged my hubby. I knew I would want to tell this story on my blog.
Hilarity ensued. When Martin found a nice wall for the kitties and put them up there, the smaller one crashed to the ground and broke! A tragic loss 
But here is a picture of the lone surviving kitty, waiting for its new owner.
Sometimes it really is hard for us to part with our clutter. People like us who have clutter and hoarding issues tend to imbue objects with intense emotional significance, and we sometimes even feel guilt toward the objects themselves when we are ready to release them from our lives. When you run into a quandary like this, consider whether there is a creative way you can part with the item without anxiety 
You might be surprised at what you dream up!
This is a Friday Fun post.
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5 Responses to “Decluttering Emotionally Charged Stuff”
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Great thought leave it for someone. That is why I LOVE freecycle. I hope that whatever I decide to get rid of someone needs.
I like your site!
Thank you, Sydnee! The little figurine was gone the next morning, so I think somebody found it
Hi Catherine, I understand this feeling. You can only depart with an item if you know someone else will take it. That is one of our excuses, “someone can use it”. Your solution is great. White elephant sales will not only get rid of the item for you but also raise money for organizations.
I have seen people take items to organizations to which they belong and offer to others. Usually someone takes the items .
The “I can’t part this with” is replaced with joy knowing that someone else will enjoy what you gave them. We like to hear “thank you” which builds our self-esteem. We are helping ourselves by helping others.
Great suggestions, Mary!
Last week, I tossed 3 high school annuals in the dumpster without so much as a flip through the pages and it’s amazing how relieved and happy it’s made me feel.
I grew up in a home where you NEVER got rid of a book EVER. Especially if you were given a book, you had to put your name in it and haul it around and be guilty about it for the rest of your life. Friends, you are allowed get rid of those stupid high school annuals. It’s also OK to pitch a 40-year-old obsolete textbook. You don’t have to keep these things forever. I wish I’d dumped them years ago instead of hauling them across the country twice. They didn’t mean anything; they were just the dead weight of bad memories.
I donated 4 college annuals to a large charity yard sale and haven’t missed them, either.
Another happy removal from my home was a piece of artwork by one of my college instructors who was a better artist than a human being. Even though I’d spent money I couldn’t afford to have that thing framed 30 years ago, I realized that every time I looked it, there was a negative association with the artist. When the consignment shop wouldn’t take it, it went to the charity yard sale as well and it’s been nothing but a relief to have it gone.
If you’ve been hanging on to stuff because you think you’d feel guilty if you got rid of it, just try dumping one (or more!) of these emotionally charged burdens and you’ll be amazed how good you feel.