De-Cluttering With an Unexpected Twist

I’ve taken on a de-cluttering project. I’m pretty good at letting things go. I’m quick to give away old clothes and kitchen odds and ends that are no longer used. Two years ago, I even gave away the “wedding crystal” because after ten years of marriage my husband and I had never even taken one drink out of those glasses. But I had no idea how emotional this de-cluttering project would be.

I am a practical girl and about as far as you can get from being a hoarder. When my husband and I were in the early years of our relationship, I really had to work with him about weeding out the stuff that was no longer useful. As a child he’d treated his toys and things with great care -- as if they were living, breathing entities. This was attachment was dormant within him until I began to ask him to get rid of some of his belongings. Saying goodbye to his stuff was very similar to bidding farewell to old friends. 

Simplify

Over the years he and I have come to enjoy simplicity. We think through all our purchases and only buy items which will get a lot of wear and tear. We also de-clutter about once a year. This recent project is to prepare for much needed new carpet. 

So today I sat down in my daughter’s closet and began going through boxes that have followed us to three towns, three apartments, and two houses. The main box I cleaned out was titled “college”. It contained all of the binders from all of my classes in Elementary Education at UNC-Charlotte. It contained the foundation for the career I once had. It held goals and dreams that I’d reached and outgrown (or perhaps just lost interest in). I took every single paper out of all of those binders and put them through the shredder. 

It felt like a miniature death. 

Farewell to the Past

A few years ago I’d donated all my classroom materials to the local university. That was the first step in bidding farewell to my teaching career. That was tough, but this was tougher. The stuff in those binders had made me a teacher. It was all that work that earned me a degree, a certificate, and the right to be called Mrs. Horner by kindergartners and second graders for the next five years.

I have now officially been a stay-at-home-mom longer than I was teacher. I’ve never looked back. I don’t dream of returning to the classroom, but in ways I wish that I did. Our children need teachers with a passion for the field and based on my degree and experience, I already have the stamp of approval for the job... But I have learned that a career is more than just a job and a paycheck. I want to do something that brings out the best in me and doesn’t have me staring at the clock all day. I want to do work that isn’t work at all!

I’ve Pleaped After All

So today I set out to take on a de-cluttering project and ended up taking, or perhaps finally acknowledging, my Pleap (Pink leap of faith). I’ve closed one of the most self-defining doors of my life and now I just have to see what window Spirit will open for me….     

What about you?  Have you had any unexpected reactions as you tried to simplify your home or life? Have you found any new and exciting windows opening for you once you closed a door?