Throwing things out
I hate throwing things out. I am usually slow to buy things, so once I have something I want to hang onto it. If I am not careful the house would be full of half finished craft projects that I was full of enthusiasm for a year ago, books that I really will get round to reading, favourite clothes that are starting to fall to bits. You get the idea.
But the problem is clutter makes the house untidy, difficult to.clean, and a bit depressing to welcome guests into. One of the reasons our summer holday cottage was so lovely was that it didn’t have all our junk in it. So I returned from holiday, as I always do, determined to clear up. This determination was helped by a conversation I had with my friend Graham who described clearing his elderly parents house after they had died a number of years ago. He said someone eventually will have to sort the house out, and it’s not fair to inflict that on your kids, so you might as well start now.
First step was the loft – where I put things that I really should throw out, but am too emotionally attached to. Out went my first pc (long broken and out of date) together with boxes of games. Loads of floppy disks, remember them?
A load of baby programs on video went. I had to tell myself the memories of watching them with the kids would not go when the cassettes themselves went.
After my first day, a car full of junk dropped off at the local tip, I was struggling to stay cheerful. But I am persevering, and slowly the house is emerging. There is still plenty to do, and I hope my resolve will hold, because less clutter will really improve the house and bless my family.
I still haven’t been able to get rid of my Buffy videos yet though. Pray for me? 
Buffy???? Oh Paul! I’m a huge Buffy fan. My daughter and I spent a happy bit of time watching those episodes together and although we’ve watched them a zillion times, I can’t throw them away either.
But the VHS Barney videos? well they’re looooong gone.
Thea Atkinson
November 11, 2011
Like that, my house clearances albeit regular, always end up with transfering stuff to the attic. But of course, that is one of my new years resolutions for 2012.
John Mee
December 15, 2011