I feel like I'm getting divorced...not from my marriage. From my excess stuff. (John is a good guy!)
I am divorcing QVC (*gasp!)
I am divorcing my purse collection. Do you know that I use only 3 purses in my 25-plus purse collection? Ask any woman. I bet they also use about 10 percent of their purses. The rest of my purses just stay in their closet. I have the privilege of moving them around and admiring them when I have to make space for more stuff, but for the most part, they are not practical or they are too heavy or too small to hold school papers, etc.
Those purses were like a security blanket for me. I wanted to make sure that I had the right-sized-cute-purse for any occasion. I only need 3 purses: Small, medium and large. So I got divorced from my purse collection.
I have already divorced my cable TV. I still watch Netflix and Hulu, but not everyday. If I'm lucky I will catch something on the weekends, but most likely I am knitting, reading, or keeping the Lucas entertained.
I divorced my wedding gown. Yes, my most prized possession I have been hanging on to for 22 years. I had hoped to have a daughter to pass it down to. Or I hoped a friend or loved one would use it. Or better yet, a granddaughter.... then I stopped... Really? I will wait until I have a granddaughter? And so I opened the box that contained my gown, admired it one last time, took photos of the lace detail, and remembered my Lola Luz for all the beautiful handwork she did. I don't need the gown to remember my Lola forever. She is in my heart.
I will be divorcing my shoe collection. Did you know I had 3 shoes for water sports? 3. I don't do water sports that much, but for some reason I felt the need for 3 shoes to fit that occassion. Now I am not a fan of high heels so I don't have those types of shoes. What I do have in dozens of ... get this... orthopedic shoes! I had plantar fasciitis for two painful years and could not wear anything without a serious arch support. I also had to ice, stretch, and tape up my feet daily. I shopped and shopped for good arch-supportive shoes, maybe, in order to ward off any more bouts of plantar fasciitis. I just bought a pair last week...didn't need it!
But really that was very odd behavior. I could totally live with, say, 5 pairs of well-made, durable shoes that are appropriate for work, play, weekends. That will be more difficult. I have insecurities about having foot pain again. It nearly put me out of work. But a mountain of shoes will not save me. Vigilance and awareness of my body will keep me from a relapse...not all those shoes.
This leads me to think that a lot of my stuff was for "just in case" and for security. But it's silly to look to our stuff for security. Isn't it?
I'm on a roll. Goodwill: here I come!
