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De-Cluttering


by Barbara Anne Radtke

Lately, I have been thinking about “stuff.”  Literally, “my stuff.”  When I moved from my home of almost 30 years to a spacious apartment. I downsized considerably.  Now, after a decade of dwelling here, I am in awe that, despite my best efforts, “stuff” is collecting. I am trying to declutter. Part of this process is like an archeological dig.  Going through a closet, a box of Christmas ornaments, or a file cabinet is a little like an archeologist encountering artifacts that peel back the layers of time.   Part of it is like a comedy show: “I really did wear sandals with wedges that steep,” chortled the woman, me, who, wearing “sensible” shoes, is sorting clothes.

I have to wonder if my personal need to simplify my possessions has social and economic profiles.  If I had not been born in the States during the post-war industrial blossoming, would I have felt I needed so much?  Being born in a society possessed by consumption and intent on crafting the perfect consumer, our wants were turned into needs. If I had not had these social prompts, would I have collected so much? Also, time has heightened ecological awareness.  If I do want to get rid of some items, how do I do that responsibly? One friend defined the dilemma of life at this point: “I am trying to give things away to friends who are also trying to give things away.  My children live by a different ethos of 'travelling light' and, besides, they don’t like my taste – or their grandmother’s or their great grandmother’s. I am at a loss to know how to recycle some items that cannot be donated.”

Our society has spawned an industry that deals with getting rid of our excess.  We have a new vocabulary: downsizing, decluttering, estate clean-outs, sales, and auctions. It has produced experts in the field from junk haulers to movement managers.  It has its own literature. The most popular seems to be Marie Kondo and her famous question of “What sparks joy?” Personally I like Margareta Magnussun”s The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which is actually not as grim as the title and has some helpful tips. (Be sure to get an eBook version or you might be adding to your clutter!)


I have friends who have given up in a kind of despair: “After I am gone, my kids can take what they want and dispose of the rest the way they see fit.”  I also have friends who have settled an estate. Their concern is to spare the executor of their estate and their next generation the troubles and work they encountered.  They keep on excavating. 

There is a spectrum of positions on this topic. I hope we all can take a breath and share reflections not only on the job of decluttering but what got us here.  Your thoughts about both are welcome.

 

Response by Kathy Hendricks

This is such a timely topic, Barbara, as my husband and I recently cleaned out our garage. Like you, we thought we had downsized significantly after a couple of moves but found that we had more stuff than we needed or wanted. Boxes filled with books I will never look at again as well as piles of photos that Ron took decades ago and long since stopped decorating our walls. When my sister died a few years ago, I ended up with all of the family records, photos, and other memorabilia. That is stuff that needs more time to go through but some of it is either indecipherable or not of any interest to my children, nieces, and nephews.


I also appreciate your observations about the connections with our society and the overabundance of stuff that has given rise to “got junk” services. 21% of Americans rent self-storage space. It speaks to the overflow in our lives that so much off-site space is needed to hold it all. I am heartened by efforts to re-use and/or recycle some of this stuff. Clothing takes up a huge amount of space in landfills and yet there are companies and organizations that offer ways to turn textiles into something productive or pass clothes along to those in need. This might provide an alternate space for those wedgie sandals you discovered, Barbara!

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