Tag Archives: house

January purging part 2: 111 things in 1/11

Welcome to the continuation of this journey my friend Jenny of Words on Wendhurst so lovingly roped me into–read here for part 1.

The goal for any newbies out there: to get rid of 111 things during the month of January. I figure if I can do about 30 per week, I’ll be on track to exceed that goal. This week was frightening. An emotionally vulnerable time, so to speak. See, I had set up a goal for myself to start going through my old college papers.

They’ve been sitting in this bin for years.

And years. And years.

Why have I kept them? Let me explain my rationale to the unenlightened:

1) I keep telling myself I may be a teacher one day. And if I teach a course in French phonetics or The British Novel, referencing my old syllabi and assignments could be really helpful! Right? Though let’s see . . . since I graduated, I’ve been a sales rep. A sales manager. And an office manager. French phonetics, though near and dear to my heart, has played no role in my day-to-day life. Or year-to-year life. Or any part of my life, really.

2) I form emotional attachments with the things into which I invest energy. And college was definitely one of those things! Plus, if I get rid of this stuff, how will I ever prove what a great student I was?? Because if there’s one thing people I meet are always demanding, it’s: “Were you a good student? Well prove it! Let’s see those original graded papers!” It comes right after the “Hi, what’s your name?” question. Yup.

And, like, when they interview you for a job, doesn’t your potential employer always ask for some of your old compositions, both the draft and the final paper?

Look! This dude said I wrote a brilliant paper!

And check this out–I did something musical here. Some kind of analysis, by the looks of it.

Not even I can interpret what the heck it means anymore.

But I may need it someday to prove something to someone.

Like, maybe to myself? When I start forgetting that my grey matter once had abilities? Opinions? Structured arguments roiling within?

Uh huh.

Let it go, Jenna.

You were a great student. But you are no longer a student. Now you’re a great . . . well, different things. Okay.

It’s also time for this random collage you made in France to find its way out.

I may have beefed up and thrown away a good amount of old college coursework. But if there’s one thing I’m hanging’ onto–it’s this!

My cartoon doodle-people. They were lurking about in the middle of essays, class notes, and examination blue books. Hi, Stallone Silvernixun! I’ve missed you so. And I’m totally diggin’ that tattoo on your thigh. That’s hard core, compadre.

The other purged item that caused me much emotional angst this week was this:

My ugly ole sweat pants. I talked about their comforting abilities in this post, and I’ve had them for close to ten years . . . can you tell? They were a staple of my evening wardrobe.

My poor husband couldn’t stand the sight of them. As I modeled my new and improved Gap Body sweat pants, the sigh of relief was audible. No more saggy, baggy, holey pants, baby . . . at least for another few years.

Goodbye my blue friends! You served me well, and I hope you have a wonderful afterlife as a piece of dirt that will feed a flower in a meadow and something about oxygen and a raindrop and the circle of life.

Wasn’t that beautiful?

Let’s take a look at the entire pile of 30 things that made their way to the trash can or to Goodwill:

The pile includes the yellowing, funky-smelling pillow that’s been who knows where, assorted picture frames, scarves, a purse, faded and weird-colored hair clips, and other random stuff.

Stay tuned for another update next week!

January purging: 111 things in 1/11

My friend Jenny over at her blog Words on Wendhurst has started a fantastic January initiative. She emailed me last week, inviting me to participate in a month of purging. The idea is to get rid of 111 things in January of 2011.

At first I hemmed and hawed. But then I thought about it. 111 things in a month is only about 30 per week. I already knew there were some pairs of shoes that could go asap, but had been hanging around causing trouble and taking up space. And suddenly, the fire was lit. I started zipping like a whirlwind through my house piling up stuff to get rid of.

Within half an hour, I had a pile of 30 things.

There were things to pass on to Goodwill such as this cruet. I kept it because I grew up in Spain, where everyone and their mother has a cruet. Keeping the olive oil and vinegar handy is 100% necessary to the daily salad.

However, I rarely serve salad, so I just hung on to it for about 6 years. Enough is enough, I say! Out with the salad! Out with the idea that my Spanish heritage is tied into the objects I own!

Then there was hair paraphenalia that I hadn’t worn in years. A plastic measuring cup (we switched to glass). A hideous bowl from my college days that used to house pounds upon pounds of Ramen noodles and Easy Mac.

I could never get those hair sticks to actually stay in my hair anyway. Good riddance!

This velvet hat was just too tight on my head. The purple sunglasses are fun . . . but the last time I wore them was Wild West Days 2003.

As I piled the stuff into a bag, I realized I was looking forward to zipping through the house the following week, scrounging up another 30 things.

I wondered if I was cheating because I wasn’t getting rid of ‘big’ things. But then I realized that it’s not the big things that tend to clutter things up–it’s the little things. Like old make up in my make up bag that I just can’t part with. Jewelry from high school that is no longer my style. This little ceramic bowl bestowed on me by a bed and breakfast in Mexico.

It’s especially important for me to establish myself as firm ruler of the clutter monster, because my Mom’s side of the family has passed on a series of genes that make me particularly prone to saving things I don’t need. We spent the money, so we might as well hang onto it in case we need it in the future. Or It may not fit quite right now, but who knows, maybe it will later. Hah! Do I expect my feet to change shape magically to better fit those shoes? Do I really think one day I’ll resurrect that old mangled and yellowed bra? Lies, all lies!

I will dominate my clutter. I hereby proclaim it.

So cheers to January and Jenny’s intiative! If any of you want to participate, by all means let me know in the comments!

I can’t wait until next week.

I just have to ask myself if I have the strength to get rid of my old college coursework papers . . .