Friday, January 14, 2011

if it's not beautiful or useful...THROW IT OUT!

sounds a little extreme doesn't it? but think about this for a minute. if you're like me, you've got a garage, or a storage unit, or someplace where your stuff is. you know what kind of stuff i'm talking about...the kind of stuff that would take you 2 hours to find in the pile of other stuff. the kind of stuff that you haven't looked at or thought about in 5 years or more. and the kind of stuff that doesn't affect your daily life at all. yes. that kind of stuff.

we all have it...and that leads me to my point. why?

why do we have it? what purpose does it serve other then creating clutter or head ache or more things to dust and insure?

i was talking with a friend recently who told me that his motto for 2011 was "if it's not beautiful or useful that he's going to throw it away". my first thought was "wow, that's a bit extreme" but the more i considered the concept, the more i began to feel how absolutely freeing that would be. pick up the box...useful? no. beautiful? definitely not. gone. simple, huh?

this might require some heavy duty black trash bags or maybe a couple trips to the dump. but when you're done, you will have literally shed years and pounds of baggage. i'm beginning to realize that our family dynamic is super fast and intense. every day is like an assembly line and the more we can do to make things run smoother and more efficient is a good choice. but better then that is the idea that i want my home to be a place of refuge. a place of beauty. and if all i do is continue to amass more stuff...just for the sake of having it. well, then i'm not only being irresponsible financially but i'm also moving further away from my goal.

this may mean something different for you then it does for me...but either way, i'd encourage you to block out a whole day...maybe two and begin sifting through your stuff...and if it's not beautiful or useful...throw it out! good luck.

have a great weekend!

5 comments:

Sharon said...

I'm not beautiful or useful in the mornings... please don't throw me out! =D

jeramy sossaman said...

you are so wrong baby! you ARE beautiful in the morning. i'm smiling just thinking about your face right now. :-)

Kimberlyn Totten said...

First off...may I say you two are just too cute! I love how you love each other... it's beautiful, adorable and all that mushy stuff too! Secondly....I spent all day PURGING STUFF and It feels so GOOD! YEAH.. Thanks for the nudge J-Dog!

Unknown said...

I just googled this very saying and your blog appeared. I wondered who the original author was. As it happens, it doesn't matter now. Your thoughts around this very subject were just what I needed to hear. It IS simple and I AM going to do it :)

jeramy sossaman said...

so glad trish. thanks for checking out the blog!