Clearing Clutter is one of my favourite things to do. Almost the same as buying the stuff which eventually becomes clutter. Recently, a box I had left to clutter clear “one day” had unexpected treasure in it.
The box had been in my loft/attic for years. It had gone up there as soon as I moved into the house because I didn’t have as much space in my bedroom for all the things I had and needed on a daily basis. It was there for ten years; un-opened and un-touched and no clue as to what was in there.
I should have just thrown it away. After all, I teach clutter clearing and if you haven’t touched what was in the box in six months, you should get rid of it. However, I knew in the box were some mementos from my childhood which I had wanted to keep.
As I went through the box, I found old letters to friends I barely remembered. Photos of people I hadn’t spoken to forever, and a collection of my favourite CD’s and a cassette tapes. These were my treasures. Music was always a place where I could escape to, and sing along with my favourite artists. The shiniest piece of treasure I found right at the bottom of the box was a mixed tape, I called “Dancey Ones 1”.
I played the tape and was taken back to the room I had at my grandmother’s house fifteen years earlier. I remembered the small tape player I had, and how I spent time selecting the right songs to go in order to fill the tape up, on both sides. As I sang along, I remembered the things I had gone through in my life up to that point. Even though they were painful, the music showed me of how far I had come.
When the tape finished one side, I played the second side, then did it again and again, feeling joy at the little bit of treasure I had found. The old photos and letters were ceremoniously released and CD’s let go. However, I kept my mixed tape, and continue to play it, even to this day.
Over to you … Uncovering Unexpected Treasure
Do you have a box of things which you haven’t gone through in a while? Maybe a place in your home where you’ve not looked in that cupboard or opened the drawer. Now is the time to have a clear out. Go through it, and honour what you’ve kept. If, like me, you find a treasure, then keep it. If not, then it’s time to let it go.
Are you looking to release clutter from your life, but not sure where to start? Get in touch for a personal clutter clearing session.
