Purging in a Good Way

If I had known that purging your home of useless doodads would feel so good, I would have done it years ago. I swear that my shoulders rise higher and my back straightens up a little more each time I toss an item into the yard sale box. It is so liberating that I can't wait to get this Saturday's yard sale over with so I can plan the next one. It won't be until next spring but I'm already eyeing things I don't need or want that are taking up precious space in my house.

Clearing out doodads, grown children, cheating husbands, or ratty furniture has got to be one the few things we do in our lives that can put a smile on our face just by their absence. It's hard to believe how many units of absolutely useless stuff we accumulate and hang onto "just in case we need them one day".

This summer, I've mainly concentrated on clearing out my flea market stock and I've breathed a sigh of relief with each box that exited the door. My sisters-in-law have been telling me for ages that I needed to get rid of this stuff but it took dogged determination on my part this spring to actually do it. It's hard getting rid of nice stuff like my flea market merchandise but, once the decision was made to do it, it got easier with each yard sale I had.

Next year I'll discard the tons of books that sit gathering dust and the tons of craft paraphernalia piled (neatly) in my sewing room. I'll empty closets, cupboards and shelves of every single thing I don't have any use for. I'm on a quest to simplify my environment and this summer has been an excellent start.

When I couldn't locate a book that had been lent to me, Faye used to joke that I'd probably sold it at the flea market. Now, no-one had better lend me anything or it just might end up in my yard sale or sent off to the Salvation Army.