Not Sure What To Do With Your Stuff? Ask It.

You’ve probably never thought about the fact that you have a relationship with your clothes, couch, craft supplies and all of the other “stuff” in your home. Dictionary.com defines relationship as “a connection, association or involvement.” Whether we’ve thought about it or not, we have a connection to our stuff and we are involved with caring for it.If the key to a good relationship is communication, maybe it’s time to take a few minutes to check in with your stuff and see what it has to say. What would it say to you if you were to sit down and have a little heart to heart? This exercise might seem a little “out there”, but if you’re not sure how to get started simplifying or if you’re stuck deciding what to do with some items, it might be worth a try…Perhaps your clothes would say, “Please donate those of us that are too itchy and too short…someone else might love us more!” Maybe the board games you own would say “I’d love to come out to play sometime!” Or maybe the things in the upper laundry room cabinets are yelling, “Hey there, do you even remember me up here? We met several years ago and we haven’t talked since…I think it’s time for us to move on!”You might even find some positive responses like, “Thank you so much for wearing me all of the time! I love getting out!” Or perhaps the vintage tablecloth from your grandma that you use at every family gathering would say, “It is so nice to still be loved after all of these years!”Once you start to think about the many relationships you have with the things in your home, start to ask some questions. Which relationships need some nurturing?  Which need some love? And which ones need to end? I hope that you’ll find several items in your home that speak positively to you. Keep those, but then be sure to take action on the ones that don’t. If the relationship is over, let it go…I know it may be hard to shift into this type of questioning, but taking a few minutes to do this might help you see things in a different way. Hopefully it gives you another way to begin (or continue) simplifying your home.  By keeping your relationships healthy you to have more clarity and more energy, which makes for good relationships well beyond your stuff!I'd love to hear about your experience with this exercise-send me a note!To Simplicity and Joy,Lisa