#Day22-23: "Saving" or "Savoring," and The Road Less Travelled

Yesterday I did a guest post for a friend's website, The Mommy Happiness Project, about #theminimalistproject. 

I was honored to share a glimpse into this month's journey for #noClutterNovember....but I also feared that without travelling with me on days 1 through 21 with The Breaking of Naivete, it would be impossible for new readers to grasp exactly what this month truly means to me.

In any case, I didn't want to turn down an opportunity to share with others what I am learning even if there's the risk of revealing my insecurities to perfect strangers; the hope that it would speak to someone else out there on a very personal and relatable level makes it worth it for sure. 

Working on breaking an old habit, creating a new one, and unpacking the emotional process that goes along with all of that is draining in itself....add to that, blogging......and you get the picture. 

I want to quit....but I don't want to quit. 

Make sense? 

So every time I push through and take action to (...in the words of Nike) "just do it," there is something very satisfying in knowing that I didn't take the easy road. I'm finding that the effort to take the hard path is worth every ounce of emotional strength that is expended.

...but the weekend also deserves a blogging day off, so #day22 AND #day23...

November 22nd, my 22 things:

But even with a blogging break, you gotta keep the momentum going
...and so when I found this Hallmark bag of cards from my oldest child's baby shower (...which happened in 2005!), I also found my #day22.


Why do I still have these? I don't know! ...I do know that I am a sentimental fool, so there's that.

If I think about what's behind saving "momentos," I guess it's about wanting to appreciate people and how they have touched me with either a gift or a gesture.
...I also have a TERRIBLE memory (...I have actually inquired of my psychologist friend as to whether it's possible that I have early-onset alzheimers...true story! ...and he thinks, "No!"), and I don't want to devalue someone's "gift" by forgetting the role they played in supporting me during a life transition...so I sav a "token."

If someway..somehow... we can all just agree to accept gifts without feeling the need to reciprocate in any way, that would be perfectly gracious for relasing me from "saving moments" and just let me savor the moment for what it is...a moment...NOT a momento!

continuing on...

November 23th, my 23 things:

#Day23 was a family effort....
My poor husband said he wanted to support me by purging something that was hard for him to let go of...his Smoker!
This particular item, he actually named and refers to as "Sally," so that should give you a bit of perspective on his level of attachment. Few men enjoy smoking meat as much as Paul, and a few friends of ours actually refer to our home as "Manchester Meat Association."
...But it was time for Sally to go. She was rusting out and had, for sure, seen better days.

In addition to my husband letting go of the love of  his life something special to him, my daughter, the "saver" representing our children, (after all, I saved her baby shower cards for almost 10 years, so I don't wonder where she gets it!), decided she was ready to finally part with some things as well.
I was so proud of her, because letting go of stuff for her is right up there with attending a funeral.

(don't ask about the painted mannequin head!)

I am honored by the support my family showed me today, because...
1. I needed it!
and 2. They have dealt with me spending much of my time on decluttering and processing this month without (yet!) being able to reap the benefits of "The Great Purge of 2014."




So, "Goodbye, sentimental-group-effort-of-clutter. We shall treasure you in our memories, but not so much in our house."





and P.S. In case you were wondering if some stranger in a pickup truck held together by rope and duct tape took the broken pieces of smoker from our "bermuda triangle" curbside, the answer is...of course! And in record time.