I’ve heard it said that. You never need any of the crap you hang onto…until the week after you get rid of it. And isn’t that the truth? It’s happened time and again. And tools. You buy them, you put them in the building/shed/basement along with all the other stuff only to learn you cannot find it when you need it so you buy another…and another…and another! It makes me crazy! 

A dear friend of mine is selling a house and they’re getting down to the wire and it needs the last of the stuff cleared out. Her husband and my husband are cut from the same bolt of cloth. I’ve always greatly admired him and when I decided to start dating after Mr. Virgo died, I was determined to find someone with the same quality of character…honorable, honest, and devoted, with a strong work ethic. I found that in Mr. FixIt. I didn’t really think about the fact that my new husband would have any….unfavorable characteristics. Like hoarding. Not in the likes of those poor unfortunates on the television show. No…hoarding like “I can’t throw this piece of wood away because I may need it someday but then when I DO eventually need it, I won’t be able to find it so I’ll buy more wood!” Yeah…like that.

After decluttering forty year’s worth of stuff when I sold the house in Colorado, I was certain I would NEVER have to deal with that again. Ahhhhhh…what do they say? Never say never? 

*sigh*

Anyway, I digress. My dear friend’s husband had a stash of wood he was getting rid of and this meme made me laugh. I had to send it to him, of course. And to Mr. FixIt. We all know those folks who can’t get rid of stuff. My late friend Sparky got after me when I was promoting the joys of downsizing. She pointed out to me that she left an abusive marriage with nothing much more than the kids and the clothes she could pack in the car. Everything she had, she worked hard to get and she was proud of that fact. She was frugal and didn’t spend carelessly so she cherished everything she had. I had never thought of it that way and I was glad she called me on it.

My mom was like that. She loved her stuff. She could find anything in the house, but by golly, it was HERS and there was no one going to take that away from her. She kept shoeboxes full of ballpoint pens that didn’t write. Cartons of cleaned baby food jars with lids. Drawers of disposables from fast food restaurants…plastic cutlery, napkins, salt and pepper packets, ketchup/mustard/horsey sauce, straws, the little plastic cups with lids that salad dressing and cole slaw came in. And who was left to clean all that up when she was gone? Moi. Me, myself, and I. I did it for her…I did it for Mr. Virgo…and if our plans come to fruition and we downsize and move…we’ll be forced to do it again.

I know my husband doesn’t want to get rid of his stuff. He tells a story of his mom having the boys come and haul off some of his dad’s “junk” when he wasn’t there and I think that really stuck with him. He’s worked hard all his life…since he was about seven years old and his dad put him and his brother to work in the theater they owned. He deserves to have his stuff around. However…we really do need to get a handle on it. When we downsize and move to town, it’s not going to happen on its own.

I was going to go to Marietta and hear Fran Lebowitz speak at the People’s Bank Theater for the Esbenshade Series yesterday. But as the day wore on, and I started seeing light at the end of the tunnel on this project, I elected to stay and work as Mr. FixIt was heading to the bowling alley. I get so much more work done when the house is quiet. I’m really happy with the way this is turning out and I hope it goes over well.

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“But all things should be done decently and in order.”

1 Corinthians 14:40 ESV