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Post by ponygirl on Feb 27, 2014 16:58:23 GMT -5
Awesome, Roadrunner and Arid! I wholeheartedly agree...a quarter of an inch is progress!!! Anything OUT is getting us to a better state of life. I've been stagnating for years...Nay!...DECADES! If I had only come to this realization...this mental clarity...sooner, oh, the possibilities... Well, not to fret over that. What's done is done. Roadrunner, even if you just LOOK into that garage.. .and give it the ol' evil eyeball..you will be in a state of progress! Yep...I also believe that making a ...what I like to call... 'scouting' run over an area...maybe even more than once...gives me a chance to make mental plans...get ready to begin the hunt...go for the kill! It's working for me. The bolded part made me laugh!!! I'm going to start giving my clutter the ol' evil eyeball and I will think of you, Ponygirl! And...chocolate chip cookies??? What?? I need to steal that idea. "You're working so hard, honey. Can I get you something?" "Well, actually, yes..." There's nothing like a chocolate chip cookie to keep one working through 'just one more pile', !!!
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 27, 2014 16:59:11 GMT -5
ponygirl you are doing so well-you are inspiring me Polishrose (love the name!), thank you...and I hope you will join me to freedom from worrying over 'stuff'! We can do this.
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 27, 2014 17:01:22 GMT -5
Ponygirl, I went into the bedroom and gave it the evil eye this morning. I have started dusting and cleaning off surfaces of the furniture. I threw away a large trash bag full and have more to go. I think it's getting better. You have really inspired me. Thanks a lot!!! Ima, you are most welcome!!! Love that your using the evil eyeball! I, like you, am looking forward to having some clear flat surfaces again! Then, maybe, I can even reduce the number of flat surfaces! Because...the only useful things my flat surfaces have been doing...is holding stuff! You are doing so good...keep it up! We'll get to 'mental clarity' before long! Keep stopping by and posting!
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 27, 2014 17:16:31 GMT -5
Update for last night: I was so tired after work, the commute, and then the evening ranch work...and this relentless cold weather is so draining after slogging through the evening farm chores...in the dark...that by the time I come in, I hardly have anything left of me. So, I grabbed a quick bite - really can't call it dinner - and decided to pull apart all that stuff on my recliner and do a rough sort. How bad could it be?...I told myself. Oh, it was bad. Just as I told you...it was piled high from the seat, up to the top of the back of the chair. What a flippin' mess. It contained mostly two categories of 'stuff': clothing and papers. No surprises there. I did the rough sort into that...two piles...one of clothes (and some I took to the dirty laundry basket right away)...the rest I left in a stack...and...a stack of papers. I didn't have time nor energy to even look through the papers. So, now I have even more of a mess at this point...and more 'stuff' (read: piles on the floor) scattered about. The chair is empty, but still unusable because of the two new piles on the floor in front of it...and all the dust and dirt that needs to be vac'd off before it can be used. ~sigh~
But...guess what?...Something...is better than nothing! And I got something done.
Think about this, my dear friends: This is another revelation of what we're doing to ourselves:
We are letting ourselves TOLERATE CLUTTER.
And why? Why are we doing this to ourselves?!
Beats me.
We're allowing mere 'things', 'junk', 'clutter', 'stuff', 'objects' (you fill in the blank for whatever you are mentally tending...) to keep us down...stuck...drained of energy...lifeless.
Hell, sometimes I can't even muster up the energy to eat...or even to bathe. I find that really stupid on my part.
It's sucking the veritable life right out of us! I can assure you it's being detrimental to MY life.
Let's ask ourselves: Why are we WILLING to ALLOW mere OBJECTS to suck the raw life out of us?! Why?
There is no good answer, is there?
So, here is what I'm doing: I'm not worrying about the 'why' anymore. See, that is what has us stuck! We are constantly thinking about (the mental tending part...) the stuff...instead of DOING SOMETHING TO CHANGE THE SITUATION!
We're never going to get out of this if we don't MAKE A DECISION to begin to DO SOMETHING (read: action).
All I'm doing is rough sorting now...little as that may be each day...to get as much out as possible, as quickly as possible.
There is a reason all this stuff is stacked up to high heavens...and not being used. Perhaps it's because I don't NEED it? Hmmmm...that's a thought...
Don't we all yearn to be FREE of the MENTAL TENDING of a bunch of stuff that we don't need...don't want...don't use... and don't appreciate?!
I know I do.
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 27, 2014 17:46:06 GMT -5
Something else that's happened since I've begun to 'turn a corner'...I'm eating less compulsively. I used to be craving something sweet all day long here at my desk...and I've noticed that desire has been reduced significantly. Correlation? I believe so. I definitely want to shed some pounds...in addition to shedding clutter.
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Post by GuitarStrings on Feb 27, 2014 19:14:17 GMT -5
Something else that's happened since I've begun to 'turn a corner'...I'm eating less compulsively. I used to be craving something sweet all day long here at my desk...and I've noticed that desire has been reduced significantly. Correlation? I believe so. I definitely want to shed some pounds...in addition to shedding clutter. Peter Walsh says the two are related...shedding stuff and shedding pounds. I couldn't tell you why exactly. The previous post where you talked about asking ourselves WHY instead of just DOING SOMETHING really, really, really resonated with me. I analyze this all the time. ALL THE TIME. Why am I this way? Why are some other people so tidy? Does it really matter if I figure out the reason? If I figure it all out but stay in my mess...that does me no good. If I never know WHY I am a messie...but I work hard to change it, well then I've improved my life (and the lives of my family members who also live here). I've freed myself from the STUFF and the worry...the mental tending of it, as you put it. SO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Ponygirl...for sharing this. You've given me much food for thought. I can't WAIT to read about your further progress...your journey out of Stuff Land and into a peaceful, calm place full of light and life. One more thing...I was thinking about you burning stuff and I looked up some theme songs for you. If you are interested, go to Youtube and look up Ring of Fire, Lennon and Maisy. It's a cover of the Johnny Cash song by two young sisters. Another one that made me laugh is Burning Down the House sung by Tom Jones and some lady...there is a "burning house" in the background. And finally, if you're old enough to remember the 70's, there's always Disco Inferno. Burn baby burn! , I don't know what possessed me to look those up but it gave me a laugh. Maybe I'll play some of those while decluttering, even though I'm not literally burning anything...but in my mind I will be queen of the flames.
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Post by dtesposito on Feb 27, 2014 22:49:58 GMT -5
All I'm doing is rough sorting now
Ponygirl, rough sorting can be good to get you started, if you have enough room.
When I first started sorting paper piles a long time ago, they were extremely messy (papers piled every which way) and I had a hard time sitting down and getting started. I finally told myself that all I had to do was put paper into keep and toss, and neaten up the keep pile so it would take up less space and look better. I didn't have to worry about file categories--because at that time I had no idea which categories to even make files for. While doing that I would see a few other obvious categories and take them out--but when I started making so many piles that I got overwhelmed I just went back to keep and toss. Then when I had several much smaller, neat piles, putting them into further categories was a lot easier.
Rough sorting works for larger items if you have the space to move things around. It does make you handle things several times, but if someone is having trouble starting, it's a lot better to do a rough sort and get things out so you have room to do a finer sort later, than to get overwhelmed and give up!
Diane
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Post by razy on Feb 28, 2014 2:12:13 GMT -5
Pony, you are awesome!
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Post by creativechaos on Feb 28, 2014 3:15:31 GMT -5
ponygirl, i am reading every word of this thread and i'm loving it and it is scaring me to death. i can relate to Angela's feeling queasy. i feel like puking, running, crying, cheering, hoping, and staying right here to root you on. this thread gives me so much hope. you all give me hope. what you wrote about mental tending, Pony and Diane - OMG YES. your revelations as you move along in committed actions are amazing to me, and so real and right-on.
hanging on to every word for dear life. please Mods/Admin - can we move this thread to favorites so i don't have to keep "liking" almost every single post?
about acquiring - when you finally reached that aha moment and committed to change and action every day - how did you stop acquiring and stop retail therapy and amassing freebies? if you couldn't cold turkey, how did you at least slow it down? if this needs to be discussed in another thread, so be it.
a few of the standout ideas and revelations so far, as you're all working along on this but especially you, Pony:
~ crippling indecision is what got us (and what keeps us) hoarded and in squalor ~ don't buy more storage containers! you only need bags and boxes to take stuff OUT ~ most of my indecision was fear of making a decision ~ does this thing add to/enhance my life? there is no 'maybe' - only yes or no! ~ will i use this SOON? ~ when i started clearing stuff, my urge to eat compulsively has lessened ~ 'STORE' = you're not using it = the danger zone ~ mental tipping point is when you finally turn the corner to sustained committed action - but it's all preparation - the disgust, the eyeballing, scouting, etc. ~ sunk costs - they're sunk so get the stuff OUT as fast as possible ~ it's not easy, it's hard. there are tears, fears, and all the rest. but with each action it gets easier
Pony, please keep sharing your thought processes as you liberate yourself. these are most helpful. thank you for putting this on the general board.
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Post by sue5000 on Feb 28, 2014 15:43:29 GMT -5
Diane, she told me to keep only the most recent insurance papers. This year and last year. Pony, I've cleaned out 2 more desk drawers. Found pay-stubs from 1982 up to last year. Over 25 years. OMG. Most are now in my burn bag!!
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 28, 2014 17:47:19 GMT -5
Hi, all! I've been swamped at work...just getting a few minutes to be here! I want you to know that I've read all your posts and appreciate everything! Woohoo to all of the decision making!! I'm going to get back to all of you soon as I can! Probably over the weekend...maybe tonight if I don't drop out, first, ! Oh, yeah, babies...I'm of the disco era! Burn, baby, burn! And...my Daddy had JC's album with his original version of RofF! Familiar with all! Creativeness, thanks for the summary...I will answer all...and answer everyone soonest! I think I've missed some replies to others on early pages...Breakingfree...and maybe a couple more? --- Carry on and I'll talk to you soon!
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Post by ponygirl on Feb 28, 2014 17:50:31 GMT -5
Here's something to think about in the meantime:
Who are we saving all this stuff for?!
It must be ourselves, right?
So, if we're suffocating from all of it...let's get out from under it...so we can finally breathe!
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Post by Arid on Feb 28, 2014 20:30:15 GMT -5
ponygirl: I'm not presuming to tell you what to do with your books, but I do want to point out a misconception that you seem to have.
At our library, at least, the purpose of the book sales is *NOT* just for the library to "declutter." We have the book sales **TO MAKE MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY!!!**
Yes; it's true that the library *DOES* "declutter" some of its older books this way--books that haven't been checked out for the past "x" number of years (whatever value for "x" that the library chooses to use). It also "declutters" books when more space is needed--be that for new book purchases or for things that take up a significant amount of space, such as computer stations.
However, we welcome book, audiobook, tape, record, etc. donations at our local library. The librarians first look through the donations to see if there is anything there that they wish to put on the shelves or any books or items that they know that other libraries in our consortium would like to have. If they find something that they want, they "get first pick." Anything that is left over gets shuttled to our FLIERS group (Friends of the Library). We sort, organize, and price all these donations.
With the two book sales that we hold per year, we help to fund our library's summer reading program, buy new computers for the children's section of the library, pay for new carpeting, etc. The money that we raise is taken into account for the library's annual budget. The library would miss that money if we weren't able to supply it! We can't raise the money without the donations, though.
Not all libraries hold book sales and/or have FLIERS groups. Anyone wishing to donate to such an organization should call first to ask if donations are wanted. Those of us who do have such sales and such groups really, really appreciate the donation of books that are *IN GOOD CONDITION.* (Sometimes, even books that are in "well-used" condition can have value if they are rare ones. Just don't bother to donate books that are musty or moldy!)
Arid (stepping off her "soap box" for now!)
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Post by Arid on Feb 28, 2014 20:48:30 GMT -5
Oh, one more thing . . . stepping back on that "soap box." !! Our book sales serve another purpose: they get books into the hands of people who cannot afford to pay $25.00 and up PER BOOK, which is what a lot of new books cost these days (even a so-called "simple" paperback novel runs around $9.00 these days). The majority of our books/items are priced from 25 cents to $2.50. We do, on occasion, have books that are priced for much, much more, but most fall into the price range that I've named. So, a person easily can buy as many as 10 used books for the cost of one brand-new one. You would be surprised at how many of our books are only a year or two old, and many of them look like they've never been read! They are in pristine condition!! Also, these used-book sales are a great place to find older out-of-print books at a reasonable price. If you look for them on-line, you will see that some of them are listed at *astronomical* prices!! There are no "shipping and handling" charges with our books, either. ! So, in some respects, our books sales are a service to the community. Arid P. S. Can you tell that I've been sorting organizing, and pricing books all afternoon?!! !! A.
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Post by GuitarStrings on Feb 28, 2014 23:46:43 GMT -5
I want to echo what Arid said. I thought the same thing. The library is selling your used books to make money, not just to declutter their own shelves. I have bought many many books at library sales over the years.
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