Through my On Memories post, I tried to convey the nature of memories intertwining with the tangible; the way the past can feel like brick and cement. This type of letting go is something we all face, whether we are moving or simply paring down.

I had some letting go to do before moving into my apartment, though I wasn’t sure of precisely what I’d need upon arrival. A few days after my move, I saw that there were some items I had incorrectly kept, so they left quickly.

Since then, I’ve just been living, seeing that I fit into a studio apartment with room to spare. There is an important lesson here: just because you have enough room for your belongings, or even extra room, that is far from a reason to keep them or bring new items in. It’s the “well, it’s not hurting anyone mentality” that tricks us. It distracts us from the bigger issue of stuff being the problem, not the space in which we keep the stuff. This is the difference between being organized and living a truly simple and purposeful life. 

Since my move, I've been taking mental notes on what I use and how I use them. I've also considered what neatly packaged items need to be sorted through in finer detail (ex. memory boxes, tool boxes). Because I’ve never had a lot of “stuff,” and I’m quite aggressive about not letting new items in, it wasn't until my move that I saw that I hadn’t fully lived up to my ideals. 

In my version of March Madness, I made this additional effort to downsize. As I sit here writing, I still wonder if it was enough. But I use my radar of purpose, meaning, efficiency and utility when I look all around and say that this is enough for my current life’s interests and needs.

In part two, I will address the objects that got the boot.