To begin again

And so it begins.
Again.

For many, many years I've been saying that I must go through my piles of stuff - to sort and pitch. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to have the skills or enough desire - or something - so my progress was less than dramatic.

Two and a half years ago something changed. Drastically. Specifically the intensity of desire changed. The turning point was when we made a decision to take steps toward selling our place a.s.a.p. Suddenly the pitching project changed from "I need to get my life in order - someday..." to a sense of urgency to get rid of this crap NOW so that we wouldn't have to move it all.

Yes, it helped. Yes, I began to make some real progress. Since then I have let go of LOTS of stuff, I have given away and sold things, I've actually pitched stuff - but there is still way more than I need.

In the last 10 months we have moved twice - into smaller places! In the moving process I continue to pitch. This winter was my first real break from the project in two years - when we spent six weeks in the tropics. Now we are back and I am ready to hit it again.

On one hand, I feel more determined than ever to pare down, to give away, throw away, and get rid of. On the other hand, I am scared - because I know myself too well. I know my tendency to cling to stuff - for good reasons and for silly ones. I am scared about my energy level and my lack of follow-through. But I really, really, really want to be free of the crap - the unnecessary, the redundant, the no-longer-in-style, the almost used up...

The almost used up? What is that about? Well, let me tell you...
I can still hear my grandma say: "Use it up, wear it out; make do or do without." Good advice for some people, but I've been using things up and wearing them out for so long that I'm sick of them - so why can't I finally pitch them?

Yes, I am aware of some of the things that bind me to stuff - and I like to think that awareness is the first step to freedom - but I still so often feel stuck.

But I will do this.

I begin again today. I am hitting it again. Can I make a dramatic difference this time? Can I get rid of huge amounts of stuff? How soon can I have another load ready to go to the thrift store?

What will it take to really do this?

I suppose I need better strategy so I am always trying to learn.

I'd guess that some accountability would be helpful, but am unsure who to ask because it seems like I have probably already exhausted the ranks - not to mention myself.

Encouragement might be nice, so should I beg for some of that?

How about some professional help? Naw, I don't have the money - nor the stomach for that.

So I keep plodding. Hopefully I keep getting better and hopefully I stay energized.

...

Am I the only one facing a huge task?
Am I the only one that is scared about running out of steam?
Am I the only one with stuff to pitch?

Please, please leave a comment if I'm not the only one...
Oops; have I resorted to begging?