letting go of the past

the autumn light in our bedroom is so translucent and temporary this morning.

We have moved from closets on to the basement, a large space, filled with the accumulation of 15 years of living with and raising four children in this house. Some things are obviously and sadly, for the transfer station. I hate to think of all the stuff that will go who-knows-where, a reflection of our irresponsibility to our planet. We have been sobered by this reality. 

Lots and lots of the stuff has been cleaned up and sorted for a big tag sale. There are roller blades, lots of kitchenware, picture frames, some furniture, holiday decorations and boxes of games.There's even a pile for the thrift shop in Vermont...a walker and cane, left over from my knee replacements five years ago. 

Some items, when held in hand, require decisions...sentiment vs. our desire for a cleaner, more pared down life. It actually feels good to push the limits of attachment, and set something in the tag sale pile. There has been the sharp intake of breath and the heart squeeze, when some sweet memory has been stirred. But memories will serve us better than the actual thing that inspired the memory. There are a few things that we are saving, and their pile looks like a curated display, these things we will need in our next chapter. 

This is a year full of transitions for us. Being in the midst of the reality of realizing a dream has felt invigorating and exhausting at the very same time. It is good work to be doing, this letting go of the past to walk into the future.

I am curious. How do you manage stuff? Do you live with stuff in closets or an attic or basement? Or do you live with just essentials? Or do you live somewhere in between?