Kurtiss and I had heard about a challenge to live on 100 items or less and thought that this might be something we could do, you know, declutter our lives a bit (we just moved so we felt inspired). Let me tell you, 100 items, ain’t very many. I would like to say that this would be a breeze, that I’m not attached to my superficial, materialistic junk that masquerades as my stuff but sadly, I would be lying. Don’t get me wrong, I can get rid of things. I love to downsize. Once something is no longer functional, it’s on its way to a Goodwill shelf and a new owner but 100 things for 5 people?
Maybe they really mean 100 things for each person. Yeah, that’s got to be it! 100 items per person. That’s manageable. But, does this include the kitchen? Whose 100 has to include the silverware and drawer full of gadgets? What about jewelry, can I just lump it all together as one item? Toys and Pokemon cards? My kids will get rid of all their clothes to keep 100 Pokemon cards I’m sure. What about the linens and towels? I don’t want them on my list, that wouldn’t be fair! There are so many questions bombarding my brain! I am sweating. I don’t want to get rid of that, that’s special. Nope, not that. Anxiety. Have to keep that. Fear. What if I get rid of something I will really need? I always like to be prepared, ahead of the game. I couldn’t possibly get rid of that. Even 100 items per person is not going to be easy.
After much deliberation (and sweating), I decided that we could each get RID of 100 items. This will be a great start on our journey and help us break the dependence on our stuff. Some things don’t require any thought, give it away or must have. Those are easy. It’s all the stuff in between that has varying degrees of emotional attachment to it. As our collection of belongings gets smaller, the question will be harder to answer. What does this item give to me emotionally? Can it be replaced? Do I REALLY need it?
I don’t know how to answer the questions right now but I look forward to the debates. I think we will all gain a little insight into ourselves as we toss away years of baggage, literally. I plan on decluttering again in April, July, and October.
Design and Color 