Yesterday morning I had an epiphany while thinking about some “perfectly good” stuff I owned that was that I hadn’t used in more than 2 years. If I didn’t use it, then it wasn’t perfectly good for me – but it could be perfectly good for someone else.
And so, I spent the entire afternoon doing a major clean-out.
This was instigated by the niggling little irritation I felt every time I opened my kitchen junk drawer that was stuffed with miscellaneous crap. It was same feeling I got when I looked at the stacks of neatly folded shirts in my closet that I hadn’t worn in over a year. It was the pang of wistfulness when I came across the upthrown frisbee and the unopened go game set I bought 2 years ago in anticipation of playing them with the girlfriend I was certain I’d meet via dating apps.
After my epiphany, I decided I had had enough. This stuff was taking up too much space in my mind. It was time to clean house.
Starting in the bathroom, I worked my way through every closet, every drawer, every shelf and every cabinet looking at everything I possessed. Here’s what I got rid of:
- A comforter I bought in 2020 and used only 3 times because it weighed too much.
- 4 years of old paper calendars I had stacked neatly next to my file box, in case I ever needed to refer back to something I wrote on them from the previous year (I never looked even once in 4 years.)
- Burts Bees Pomegranate Infused Shampoo and Conditioner I bought when I decided to grow out my hair after The Music Fan told me she like man buns (my “grow out my hair project” lasted exactly 4 weeks longer than my relationship with TMF did). Still, I was “saving” the shampoo in case I had a house guest who needed it (I’ve had zero overnight house guests in 4 years).
- A stack of workout tracking logs going back 3 years that I never once reviewed.
- 2 Titanium sporks I bought for my road trip that I barely used then. Plus a handful of silverware from my former life that I haven’t used since then either.
- 2 pairs of old shoes that I kept to use when mowing the lawn. Another 2 pairs I used for walking the dogs when it was raining. (I never wore them because I have 3 other old pairs I wear for these occasional days.)
- The box of green tea I’ve been carrying around with me for over 10 years because I know it’s “good for me” and I used to drink a cup every afternoon back in 2011 when I needed a midday pick me up working in a corporate office. (I hate green tea. It tastes like dirty sock water.)
- At least 8 “perfectly good” large shirts I bought 4 years ago after settling down from my road trip. They are in excellent condition because I stopped wearing them after a few months when I realized I wasn’t a large man. Occasionally I’d wear one as a pajama top because it was lightweight and loose, even though I own at least a dozen better fitting shirts I can wear to bed.
- No show socks I never wear because bare ankles are cold in winter and mosquito magnets in the summer.
- An entire set of leather bracelets I bought to “look cool” when I was dating. I might have worn 2 of them twice. Someone else can now look cool.
- A spare analog scale I tucked in the corner behind the digital scale I have used every day for the past 3 years.
- 2 pairs of pants and 2 pairs of shorts that are now several size too big for me that I haven’t worn in 3 years.
- The long johns I wore exactly two times because I despise their bulkiness and fit. Plus I only need long johns for 1 or 2 days a year and I bought a warmer, better fitting pair this winter.
- An electric hair clipper I haven’t used in 2 years because I use my rechargeable a bald head shaver now and will never let my hair grow out long enough for a clipper again.
- A diffuser along with a set of essential oils. I used this half a dozen times until I realized I only like the peppermint oil and that the diffuser only made a difference if I was standing bed it inhaling the mist.
- Giant map books for off-grid camping in NM, AZ, and Utah that I used during my road trip. I haven’t traveled more than 50 miles from my home since I ended that trip and have no intention of doing off-grid again.
- Hard casters I bought for my furniture that I won’t use because I use felt casters or wheels so my furniture doesn’t scratch the floor.
- A large jug of woolite (I own nothing wool anymore because I discovered even merino makes me itchy), a full can of spray starch (can’t stand the smell) and a box of fabric softener sheets I bought when I was dating TMF to try to get her giant lab’s hair off of my sweater).
When all was said and done, I had 3 large bags of garbage and 4 large boxes of “perfectly good” stuff to donate to the thrift store.
I am free.
All of that stuff weighed on me every time I looked at it or thought about it. In less than 4 hours, it was gone.
Poof.
I never have to think about it again.
And, I am now back to owning only my favorite stuff.
I reorganized during this process too.
I have some empty shelves in my closets, I can see everything in my drawers and I know exactly what I own and where it is located.
It’s a beautiful thing.