Specifically, I'm referring to the model black cab on the top shelf, along with the Hard Rock Cafe London cup on the far left of the second shelf, and it's friends: the miniature Crown Jewels, little Big Ben, double-decker bus paperweight thingy, the tiny Eiffel Tower I picked up in Paris, and the Royal Scot shot glass from Scotland. These things have lived on these shelves interspersed between picture frames since I brought them home from London 8 years ago. When I bought them, I think I was afraid that once I left London, I would need them to prove to myself that I had been there, or that they would somehow take me back there in my mind in a way that I could not do without them. I now realize that I find them to be silly, pathetic, touristy items that in no way represent my amazing semester in London. If only I could have brought home my favorite professor, Patrick, with his dashing good looks, brilliant accent and ingenious interpretations of Shakespeare....but, alas, he remains with me only in my mind, and without any need of a physical object to represent him.
Similarly, I had many picture frames with pictures of our wedding that had been scattered around our home since a few months after the event....and I don't think I ever even noticed them anymore, they'd just been collecting dust. And as much as I like to look fondly back on our wedding day, more important to me is to continue to grow with my husband and focus on who we are today--both very different in many ways from the people we were when we walked down the aisle almost 7 years ago.
It is amazing how much I/we've changed, and how many of the things in our home no longer represent who we are today, and even more importantly, who we want to be. And while I still have some things to figure out (there was one shelf of stuff that simply got moved around, but nothing was yet discarded, and I'll explain that in a moment...), I'm growing more confident in my ability to let go of things from the past, and of who I used to be, in exchange for more space in my life to focus on who I am now and who I want to become.
So, the shelves I addressed tonight in my get rid of stuff campaign were the one pictured above, and these others:
And I was able to easily part with 16 picture frames, along with all the touristy crap, as well as about 6 candles that were stacked up behind some picture frames, and that have been lit maybe once. Apparently I really like the idea of candles, but the practical application seems to escape me.
Here are the after shots, though I did keep 2 of the picture frames from the first shelf, but they are being relocated, and, as you will see, I struggled with the last shelf and ended up putting those things back on it, just in a different arrangement because I could not remember how they were before (good think I have the before picture in case I decide to return to that arrangement). Those items are things that Brett and I made for each other as gifts--including a sketch of us he drew, pictures of us when we were first dating, things that I'm not yet ready to part with and that although I rarely look at them or use them, they bring me enough joy to be worth keeping around and taking care of.
Above the merely rearranged sentimental items, including one remaining framed wedding photo that despite my earlier comments I'm not ready to let go of, are some ND items that are staying for now, in addition to the 2 signed footballs that were the only survivors (by Brett's request) of the shelves above the desk.
And we will continue to ask ourselves the Peter Walsh questions: do I need this? and does this bring me joy? as we continue to evaluate what stays and what goes, but I think we are getting to the point where more stuff is going to be staying, and I'm having some fears about failing to reach the halving goal.....
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