Decluttering challenge, day 4

It’s hard to believe we’re already four days into the new year, isn’t it?  Do you feel like you’re moving toward the goals you set for yourself?  Is there something in your way?  Usually, the something in my way is me.  I can see that exercise is a good thing for me to do…or that not stopping at a fast food place is the right thing for me…or that not allowing junk to pile up in my house (or my life) is the direction I want to go.  But then I get in my way.  I come up with excuses (you know the ones…I’m too tired after working all day, I have too much other stuff to do, I’ve got to sit down and write a post for my blog…oh wait, that’s the one that is actually keeping me going on this little decluttering challenge.  Yea for the usefulness of blogs!).

I was having a hard time figuring out what to let go of today.  Yes, I know, I had the same problem a couple of days ago.  I hope this isn’t going to be a recurring problem…no, it won’t be!  I’ve got it figured out (fingers crossed).  I think part of the problem is that the blog post is always in the back of my mind.  You know, I want it to be exciting.  I want it to be something that you all will look at and wonder a) why in the world did she ever buy that?, b) what kind of goofball is she that she would keep something like that?, or c) {{{gasp}}} how could she let go of that and will she let me have it?

So I’ve decided I have to do this without a lot of thought as to the pretty pictures.  Just pick a room and quickly find however many things I need for the day to get rid and gather them up.  Period.  Well, then I guess I have to take pictures and figure out something witty and entertaining to write about…but you catch my drift, right?

I decided to open the door to my downstairs coat closet…okay, lots of coats, jackets, sweaters, scarves, a snow shovel and bag of ice melt, and…wait…what’s that???

What is that?

Okay, the cat stays…she’s just curious.  But there were two pairs of shoes that I haven’t worn in years, an umbrella that doesn’t work, oh…and the stability ball that sweet little Scout destroyed when she was just a kitten.

part vampire?

So I’d be willing to bet that some of you were asking yourselves why in the world I ever bought those shoes (hey, they were work shoes.  I’ve had problems with my feet for years…had no idea it had anything to do with RA…so I had to settle for comfort over style) and what kind of goofball am I that I didn’t immediately throw out the stability ball that Scout chewed on and destroyed.  To that I have no answer.  I didn’t even realize I’d kept it.  When I moved something in the closet, I thought what is that? So, yeah…you got me there. But now it’s gone…unfortunately to the landfill, but what can I do?  Hopefully she’s over her teething phase (or fanging phase, as it may be) and that won’t happen again.

Once I decided to stop over thinking the process, it became a little easier to find a few things to toss out.  In the process, I did find three things to sell as well, but we’ll talk about that another day.  Lesson for today:  don’t paralyze yourself by over thinking.