I have too much stuff

One thing librarians learn is that collections of books, of anything, need to be curated or they just become hoards. Something that had great value at one time may no longer hold the same value years later. Whether they spark joy or not, it’s worth reviewing your stuff before you find yourself forced to downsize quickly or, heaven forbid, leaving your stuff for someone else to have to sort through and wonder why on earth you were keeping it all.

So we weed things out. That’s a librarian term, though I thought everyone used it. Hmmm. I’ll share it with you if you’d like. Because weeding gets rid of unwanted or damaged things to make room for the things you choose to keep.

This week I went through my collection of genealogy research books again, because I’ve done this before. But I’m not using things I expected to use, so why not share them with someone who can use them? I searched all the titles in the Tyler Public Library online catalog (yayyyy! they have Encore, the system I used for years when I was working) and put together a list that I sent to the reference librarian responsible for the Genealogy/Local History collection. Only three titles were already held by the library, and two of those are missing, so she was delighted to get the offer. They’re boxed up now and waiting for me to figure out a way to haul them down to the library.

My jewelry is also out of hand for someone who doesn’t wear much except earrings. I was considering getting a jewelry armoire when, really, the issue is that I simply have too much of it. So it’s time to weed. Why keep so many of those necklaces dangling from the organizing hanger thingie in the closet? I still have some pendants that were my Mom’s that I don’t think I’ve ever worn. Why keep them? And the earrings … well, really, I’m an earring addict because, let’s face it, earrings fit no matter what size you are. I used to wear tiny ones and they’ve gotten much bigger. But I haven’t spread them all out in at least 2 years and know I’ve added a ton of them since then. This weekend I will weed out at least half of the necklaces and earrings. I have a plan.

I have two computer desks, which is one too many. One was my mom’s, built for desktop computers with big towers and keyboard drawers. I’m using it to hold my printer and a lamp, having already sold the scanner that was also there. But the cubbies and drawers are full of papers that need to be reviewed, sorted, and filed or shredded so I can empty it out and try to give it away if I can find someone to take it. So today I organized, sorted, and 3-hole-punched a big pile of retirement paperwork and got that into a binder and out of the desk. I have a big pile of other stuff to file but it needs to be sorted first. Also a project for the weekend – because I really want to get rid of the desk. More weeding, this time of furniture.

And in the kitchen, we have cookie jars. Way too many cookie jars. How many do I need when I don’t even eat cookies? I’ll be going through those and the wine glasses (how many does one person need? not as many as I have!) and other kitchen things. That’s a project for later in the month. And I have my eye on a few Christmas things that, on reflection, didn’t spark as much joy as I expected.

If you live in Emerald Bay, watch for posts on Community Interest when I’m ready to share some of these treasures with someone else. That computer desk would be a great crafting or project table even if you don’t need it for a computer 🙂