My Life Simply Put

We have been talking for several months now about moving. We have felt for quite a while now that we needed and wanted to move my dad in with us but felt that we needed a house that better served all our needs. So since we started talking about it I have been cleaning out! I have been through almost every closet and drawer and shelf and box in this house. I have taken at least 8 loads of stuff to the DI. I have thrown away a ton of stuff (it is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 22 years). But the one job I have been putting off and dreading (for years now, seriously!) was the 10+ boxes of old statements, checks, receipts, and BILLS, yes old bills, that we have saved for many, many years. WHAT WERE WE THINKING?! I was determined that I was NOT going to move those boxes to the new house. I brought up one box a few months ago and thought I would just go through it as I had time, a little at a time. I could not believe how much stuff was in that little box, and there were 10 more just like it! I was so overwhelmed at the thought of it all. It has been down right depressing. Keith said at one time, “let’s just light a match and walk away!”. Why do we tie our selves down with STUFF!? It was such a daunting task, but I persevered. I did a little here and there but I wasn’t making much head way. Getting rid of all the other “stuff” in the house had been so liberating and actually somewhat therapeutic, so getting this job done had to be the ultimate release. So this week I decided that I was going to dig in hard and get it done.

(this is only the boxes I did this week, I had 3 boxes already done)

I couldn’t just shred it all because I only had a little shredder,  I had to look at everything because of Social Security numbers, account numbers and other such personal information. I was working that little shredder to death and it was taking way too long, so I decided that I needed a bigger shredder. We got one that said it would shred 600 sheets in 5 minutes. (Yeah! that’s what I needed to get the job done!) I have almost continuously been “feeding” it since we brought it home. I have been shredding stuff from as far back as 1981. That’s INSANE! I couldn’t believe the stuff we had kept for so many years.

Today, I got the job done! I can’t even begin to tell you what a huge relief it is. I feel somehow lighter today! (my spirit, not my body ) It makes me want to throw more “stuff” away.