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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Letting go of the past

I admit I like to collects things—knick-knacks and memorabilia from my past. My collecting wasn’t too bad in the beginning, but after 30 plus years of stuff, my house is full. Most of the things I have are worthless to anyone but me. The necklaces and bracelets I’ve kept over the years are pretty or cool, but I don’t wear them anymore. So why do I keep them? I think I hang on to my rocker jewelry because of the memories that are imprinted in the various leather-studded, skull-adorned, snake-shaped jewelry that I used to wear as part of my rock-n-roll persona, a part of my life that no longer exists. A psychiatrist would probably say that I am afraid to let go of that part of my life.

And then there are the numerous crystals and stones that I have collected over the years. Do I need that many rocks? No. I don’t need all the shot glasses and other stuff in my giant curio cabinet either. I remember when I went shopping for this curio cabinet and ended up buying the largest one I could find and easily filled it with stuff. I actually have two curio cabinets—the small one I started out with (and should have stopped with that one) and the gigantic one that the movers could barely get into our house.

No, I am not surrounded by stacks of boxes or left with tiny pathways to move around my house—at least not yet. After reading about a woman in Las Vegas that was believed to be missing and later found dead under piles of her belongings, and after watching a couple of episodes of Hoarders, I have finally started getting rid of some of my things that I don’t use anymore. By purging some of these things from my past, I feel like I can breathe easier and think more clearly. For the first time, I can find a tank top right away and not have to spend fifteen minutes digging through piles of them to find what I am looking for. I kept a couple of pieces of my rocker jewelry, but got rid of the rest. And I am proud to say that I have an empty drawer in my dresser for the first time in years. The empty drawer is screaming for me to fill it up with stuff, but I’m not listening.
By letting go of the past, I feel a freedom I haven’t felt in a long time.

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
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1 comment:

Kayelle Allen said...

When hubby and I moved two years ago, we got rid of a 5 bedroom house and moved to a shared house where we had a bedroom, private bath, a living room, and a shared kitchen. Talk about paring down! *_* I went thru major "stuff-withdrawal" for a month afterward. Every time I couldn't find something that panicky feeling that I'd left it behind or donated it to Goodwill hit me. Usually I found it well packed, but a few things are just gone. I'm happy with less, truth be told, and the smaller place is easier to clean. Plus this house has an upscale kitchen with big bright windows and lots of light in every room. Old house was dark and had dark wood cabinets in the kitchen which I always meant to change but didn't.

Keep going. It gets better. Every time I empty a box and give away one more item from storage, it's like a jolt of energy.

Thanks for such a good article. I'm encouraged!