I have too much stuff.
I have said this before. In fact I have said this for too long. I have finally decided to be committed to doing something about it. I just finished watching “Long Way Round” the movie documenting Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor’s motorcycle trip around the world. Their journey rekindled my desire to live more authentically. A piece of that means living with less…less physical stuff.
I spend a great deal of my time, taking care of my things. I have dishes filling my dishwasher right now, which seems impossible as my kitchen is packed with more dishes. I have mounds of dirty laundry to wash; and yet a closet full of clothes I never seems to wear. I have book shelves of books I was going to read ‘one day.’ I have boxes of momentos saved for reasons and sentimentalities I cannot explain. I’m embarrassed about the quantity of yarn I have and exercise clothes. When is the last time I even exercised? And why does a woman in Portland, Oregon need more than one swimsuit, really?
I decided to follow Jamie Lee Curtis and limit my wardrobe. She apparently wears only black and white. I could live with that. Chris, my boyfriend, loves me in black. In fact he has said I rock black. And the truth is, I find myself wearing the same outfits over and over again. A lot of them are black. I once posted a blog about an artist who wore the same dress every day for year, she mixed it up a bit with scarves and tights, but it was the same dress. I can do anything for a year.
Today is the day…lots of moving and packing up stuff. Today is day one of clearing away the excess. I’m giving myself one week to purge. And then I will begin my year long experiment of living with less.
Chris, just opened the fridge, and by the smell of it, I will begin the cleansing there.