UPDATE:
The 3rd Annual Memorial Purge-a-thon was held
from 1st June through 5th July, 2009.
We had 25 participants
(all SOS members)
and together we collectively purged
over twelve-and-one-half thousand items!
A summary of the event is posted at the top of page two of this thread you are reading right now.
Hello everyone.
You're invited to the 3rd Annual Memorial Purge-a-Thon.
Each June, we've had a separate place, called the "Memorial Purge-A-Thon", in which we listed items we purged, to honor our losses and recreate joy. And each person silently remembered their loss and released their items.
It started out as a memoriam for members who had passed on. Then evolved to include any loved ones we had lost.
Now:
The focus is on honoring ANY loss --
persons lost,
things lost,
opportunities lost.
But not in a sad way.
This is not intended as a funeral rite, but rather a celebration of life.
The spirit is meant to be one of releasing the pain of loss, and allowing room for fond memories and new experiences.
Remember the loss, release your items, and regain joy.
NOTE: We simply list items we've purged. Sometimes a brief comment about what it meant to us.
We usually don't post much discussion, because we all know why we're there:
Purging items, in memoriam of past loss, releasing pain, making room for the future, and creating joy.
You could purge one item or hundreds of items.
It doesn't have to be "special" items that you're tossing. You might just get rid of bags of junk, or rotten food from the refrigerator. The idea is to just remember the "spirit" of the challenge. And clear out whatever you can.
The Memorial Purge-A-Thon is located on a separate forum, all by itself, open only during June; and it's accessible to all members of
any of the few real desqualoring/dehoarding communities on the internet -- all kindred spirits. (Extended through 5th July.)
Participation is optional. All are welcome. Not meant to be a substitute for your regular forum. Instead, it's a supplement to whatever you usually do. Visit any time through 5th July.
It doesn't matter if you toss
- only one thing during the whole month,
- or if you toss hundreds of things every day.
What matters is that collectively, we are all making our homes better.
A running tally is kept, to add up all of the items that everyone has purged.
Clarification: We just add up the total of ALL the items -- from everyone added together. (we don't single out any person). But it helps if you list an approximate amount of items, so that they can all be added into the greater collective total. If you're not sure how many items, you can guess. You can say the number of individual items, or the number of boxes/bags. Whatever works for you.
Last year, we collectively purged over 10,000 items !Let's try to purge as many items this year!
The link is here: Purge your stuff and post your items:
www.network54.com/Forum/571130/NOTE: If you feel uncomfortable posting there, you can add to this thread that you're reading right now!
I will tally any items added to this thread, and that tally will be added to the whole tally at the Purge-A-Thon forum.
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How the tradition started:We began the tradition in honor of one squalor forums member who passed away. And then another member who passed away. And the tradition grew and evolved.
A longtime squalor forums member, Alisa ("parrotsparrotsparrots"), passed away tragically and suddenly in June 2007.
Alisa was very much about getting rid of extra stuff, and beautifying her home, and she was very enthusiastic about encouraging others to do so.
We continued that spirit, and encouraged everyone to take the opportunity to go through their homes and purge excess. Or do a special cleaning, some home improvements, and random acts of beauty in our homes.
We also honor the memory of Phfoenix. Yes, that's how she spelled her username. With the H and the F.
Phfoenix -- nicknamed "Phee" -- was a beloved member, in her own right, of the squalor forums herself. She had a feisty and generous spirit, and welcomed the homeless and abused with open arms. She was creative with crafts, and had a great eye. She read wonderful books. She loved raspberries. She was a marvelous friend.
And ... "Phee" was a great mom. She was the real-life mother of member djollydjolan.
We lost Phee tragically in November 2007.
The Purge-A-Thon was created on a separate forum, all by itself, open only during June; and it's accessible to all members of
any of the few real desqualoring/dehoarding communities on the internet.
The reason for this was that Alisa and Phee belonged to more than one desqualoring/dehoarding community, and it was nice to have a central place where everyone could gather.
Recently, we've been informed of the loss of another longstanding member, BDG, whose influence and contributions helped numerous people on this forum. This is a new loss for all of us. We can honor her too.
BDG had many health issues and could barely get around. Yet she created a system of cleaning that allowed her to clean her house, and she shared it with all of us. BDG was thoughtful. And she had a great sense of humor. She was dedicated to her real-life family and to her online friends. She was very opinionated about her politics. Yet very open-minded with all of us.
In addition to Alisa, Phee, and BDG:
we can also honor any members and lurkers, known and unknown, who have passed on, but had nobody to notify us.
We may also choose to also honor any family members, friends, loved ones -- anyone special that we have lost at any time.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, we recognize that all of these people embraced JOY. So we no longer focus on the sadness.
We focus on the joy.
And we've extended the focus beyond any one human being.
Remember that the focus has now evolved to honoring ANY loss:
persons lost,
things lost,
opportunities lost.
But not in a sad way, but instead as a celebration !To honor the loss, we purge items from our home -- to make room for joy!
Come and join us. The link is at
www.network54.com/Forum/571130/