My son and me finishing our 9 mile bike ride from Grandma and Grandpa’s house to our house. Super fun!
Stuff controls my life.
There is stuff all over my house. Clothes, shoes, pots, pans, dishes, toys, pictures, movies, toys, bags, food, furniture, books, toys. And it all has to be taken care of.
I feel like I spend most of my waking hours taking care of stuff. Not me, not my children. Just our stuff.
Not too long ago I was really starting to feel smothered by stuff. I had kept up with my House Cleaning Chart, so things were still clean, but it was getting hard to find stuff. There were so many things in my house I couldn’t remember what I had and what I didn’t. I even ran to a neighbors’ house to borrow cumin one night because my spice cupboard was so full I didn’t see the HUGE container of it in the back that was unopened.
I was smothered. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the house to do something fun with my kids because there were so many things that I really should have been getting done at home. But getting that done didn’t sound fun, so I would spend the afternoon surfing social media, trying to ignore all the stuff. And then I would start the whole cycle over again the next day.
Then I read this ebook. My Dreams Ate My Stuff.
It’s the story of a family of four, as told through the mother’s eyes, that moves from Arizona to Hawai’i. To do so, they must get rid of everything except 3 carry-ons and 8 boxes of things.
It is, hands down, the most motivating book I have ever read about getting rid of stuff! And it’s a quick read!
It took me just over an hour to read it the first time(including interruptions from kids). Super short, but super effective. That afternoon, I cleaned out my kitchen.
Since then, I’ve read it at least two more times. I have cleaned out game cupboards, linen closets, clothes closets, file cabinets, and book shelves. As I try to decide what to keep, I just try to think ‘does this thing make me happy?’
Here’s an example.
I went through all the clothes in my closet and drawers. I had pre-baby stuff that I was hoping to fit into again (but only made me feel guilty). I had stuff that was too big, shirts that I kept because they were a certain color(but that I never wore), etc… I got rid of EVERYTHING that didn’t make me happy.
Now I don’t hate getting dressed. Even though nearly everything in my closet is blue it all makes me happy, and I feel good wearing it. I also don’t hate doing laundry anymore. I’m just taking care of things that I love!
The author, Maelani Parker, is so real. I felt like she was telling my story of holding on to things. And I feel like I made the journey with her of getting rid of almost everything! It made it much easier to do it in real life!
So go read her book, My Dreams Ate My Stuff, and let go of stuff!
I still have more to go through, but already life is better. I feel more free to do things with my kids, instead of just taking care of things.
Part of managing the mayhem is managing the STUFF! Don’t let it run your life!
Just read it. 🙂 My Dreams Ate My Stuff by Maelani Parker
