How to Let Stuff Go & Make Space for Great Experiences

The day unfolded in surprising ways with one thing leading to the next. It began simply by emptying the dishwasher, a standard household organizational chore. As my husband Steve and I put some glassware away, we started to wonder how to better organize the cabinet contents, which had become too cluttered. The wondering prompted some questions such as . . .

“Do we need that?”

“Do we use that…ever?”

“Are we ready to let ‘it’ go?”

Before we realized it, we’d gone through several cabinets and amassed a pile of objects that we were ready to part with.

I took photos to see if our daughters might be interested in any of the items. We had some takers. The rest will be donated to Goodwill. Internally I felt lighter from clearing out. The cabinets looked less crowded too. There was no more precarious stacking of mugs or glasses. Instead, everything had space and a place to land. At one time the cabinets had been that way, but as you know, maintaining organization requires tweaking things every so often. And that time had arrived.

Another letting go of stuff happened this weekend with my annual changing from winter/fall to spring/summer clothes. This always presents an opportunity to purge and re-evaluate. Like with the dishes, I asked similar questions with my clothes like,

“Will I wear it…ever?”

“Does it fit?”

“Would I buy it today if I saw it in a store?”

For the clothing too, I let go of enough to allow my hanging clothes and drawers to breathe better. Everything felt a bit lighter, myself included.

With the letting go of clothing and kitchenware, and with feeling lighter and less burdened by the stuff of life, Steve and I decided to explore a new place near our home. It was a gorgeous warm and sunny day. We took a long walk in the woods on a beautiful Audubon trail. It was incredible to us that while we’ve lived in the Hudson Valley for over thirty years, we never went to this preserve before, which is only a five-minute drive from our home.

As I walked in the beautiful woods, I thought about how good it felt to let things go. I thought about how calming it was to be in this peaceful, wooded forest with birds chirping, gentle hills and paths to climb, and a scenic pond reflecting the bright, blue sky and fluffy, white clouds on its surface to see. By letting go, I made space to experience something new. By letting go, I made space to mindfully experience nature with joy and wonder without the burden of too much “stuff” weighing me down.

Have you experienced any letting go this spring? Are you thinking about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!