Day 119: Downsizing

I have spent the last week going through box after box after box after box of my personal belongings. I have probably unpacked 70+ boxes at this point. SEVENTY BOXES! (I typed that in all caps because you can't really yell numbers when you are writing!)

Most of those boxes contained things I have not seen in three years, or if I have seen them, it was during a weekend visitation in my home in Georgia. But for the last year almost all of it has been stored in a box, either in a warehouse in GA, or in my sister-in-law's garage.

Each time I unpack something I find myself asking, "Why do I have this? What value does it add to my life?"

Piece in question. A GIANT Mikasa Czechoslovakian Crystal vase. It's beautiful. But why do I have it? I use it for nothing. I don't even put flowers in it. It just sits around and gets dusted. I wonder if I sold it if I could help someone with it?

Then I think to myself, "Carol, are you listening to yourself? You really aren't THAT philanthropic, so get over yourself."

When I ask Big Mike questions like that he says, "Carol, you don't need those candles either. They aren't adding any value to your life. Are you gonna sell those too? You don't need the pictures you have hanging on your wall. You don't need decorative pillows. You don't need . . .I GET THE PICTURE MIKE!" (I yelled at my husband via blog . . .)

So, as I am going through my boxes, I am setting aside things I just don't want anymore. Things I'm tired of moving, packing, unpacking, dusting, etc. And in a few weeks, I'm going to have a KILLER garage sale. You should come.

All that to say, I'm downsizing my life and the number of boxes it takes to move it around.