A Woman's Work – Brooke Basically Blogging

 

It is time to declutter.  Don’t think about it just put it in the box.  You haven’t worn it in four years.  This toy has dust on it.  These kids haven’t played these video games in years.

These were all of the thoughts that were running through my head while I was preparing for our yard sale last week.  I am a hoarder.  I can’t throw things away.  At least for six months I might need them.

Harrison and I started collecting things for the yard sale.  We started in the basement and worked our way up to the bedrooms.  He did a better job than me.  He just threw things in the box.  I had to take a moment to reflect on the object, admire it and make a case for why I needed to keep it.

Then I would come across objects, that triggered an unpleasant memory and that gave me the courage to start throwing everything away.  Meanwhile Sydney was walking around like the security guard at The Smithsonian Museum saying, “That’s mine. That’s Sydney’s stuff.”  That is when I decided I would go through her things when she went to bed.

Cleaning for this yard sale reminded me how I needed to clean up and declutter some areas of my life.  You see I already know who and what are holding me back and weighing me down.  The power to remove these things from my life is all under my control.  I can’t blame someone else for the baggage that is weighing me down.

As I lined up things to sell. I reminded myself that I wasn’t trying to get rich.  We were trying to make our Michigan Money, as Sydney called it.  It was a brisk Sunday morning and it was my mommy time.  Sydney and Harrison were inside and I had four hours to myself outside.  At one point I think I even dozed off for a quick nap. Then my friend Rachel came by and it was fun to chat with her to help pass the time away.

As people purchased things I had mixed emotions.  Part of me was thinking why in the world would you want that?  And the other part of me was glad that I had a volcano kit for a little boy to buy with his own money.  Yes, I knocked the price down for him.  I wanted everything gone for two reasons. First, this was all reminders of my past.  Baggage that I was still carrying around with me.  Secondly, I didn’t want these boxes back in my house because they would never leave again.

There was one time during the yard sale that I felt like the mom in the Toy Story.  I saw Sydney’s Detroit Tiger Bear in a bucket for sale.  I had to run over there and grab it.  That was her bear that she picked out at her first Detroit Tigers Game.  I wanted her to keep that.  Everyone that came to the sale wanted to buy Sydney’s adaptive bike.  So I finally had to put a NOT FOR SALE sign on it.

In the end I came to peace with letting things go.  Anything that wasn’t sold was donated.  We made $175 for our Michigan Money.  As I let things go. I realized that I still have the memories to hold on to if I choose.  It is amazing when you declutter how you feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.  What baggage do you need to get rid of?  When is your yard sale?  You might have something I need.