9 bags, 7 hats, 2 swords and a hell of a lot of dust later and I’ve now thrown away approximately three quarters of my belongings. It felt slightly sad but also incredibly cleansing to know that I now own, next to nothing. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. A fresh start at the beginning of the journey that I am inevitably about to take.
I have come to realise that items are just items, possessions that people hold on to as a reminder of how much we may have to lose. I don’t think that a person should believe that without these things, they have nothing. Everything that we have and need is right here, so unless you’re thinking of throwing out your old brain or heart then you really don’t have much to lose by doing this at all.
If you are having a clear out soon, then I urge you to take a step back and make a conscious decision about each item...and then, THROW IT ALL AWAY! Why are these things just sitting there existing in our houses accumulating dust? Do they really matter on the large scale of thing? Forgotten hobbies that once meant everything now mean nothing much at all. Tennis rackets, musical instruments, folding bicycles and books of self help and cookery are sat there literally doing nothing, and if they are doing something then by all means keep them, but if they aren’t, then for petes sake just throw them away! Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Your past likes, dislikes, interests and experiences are important, but do you really need them hanging around in physical form? Take a picture, it will last longer! Keep hold of things that are at least picked up and used once in a while but consider this, other than the clothes on our backs and a few electronic devices - what do we actually need? Nothing? Everything? Of course excluding any pots, pans and homeware supplies...I’ll leave this one up to you.
I have of course kept hold of all of my most treasured possessions such as letters, photos, tickets and anything that reminds me of the good times that I hopefully will never forget anyway. But in case I am faced with the possibility of developing amnesia, I think it is important to hold on to just a few.
So pop the things that really matter in a box or two and throw away the rest. Call it a memory box, or a treasure trove, or in my case ‘a box of wonderfuls’ and every now and then take a moment to look back at these things and reminisce, trust me you’re not going to care about remembering clothes that no longer fit, or bank statements from banks that no longer exist.
I’ll end with the classic and very memorable lyrics by the international sensation of one Ms Whitney Houston...
‘I HAVE NOTHING’!!
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