Out With the Old and in With the New

Change is good, right? Or is it something you fear? Moving to a new town or state, a new haircut, or even something as simple as changing your shampoo or lotion. Changes can influence life for the good or the bad. I tell you this because lately I have been thinking of doing a lot of positive changes myself. It is a new year and I think it is time to try to declutter my life. Out with the old and in with the new, as some might say.
Before I begin to tell you my first step in change, you first have to know I am a sentimental person...probably one of the worst you have ever met. I like to think back on the good memories, keep items because of its importance to me and only me, and I take pictures of everything. Now that you know this, the next thing you should know is I tend to keep all of these particular items in the thing you may know as a closet. To me its a keepsake storage space. I could not see the floor of my closer nor were there any room on the shelves. I had things packed in on top of each other and I would be completely embarrassed if anyone outsider had seen.
So, I came to the conclusion to go through everything and clean it all out. It kind of looked impossible but the more I jumped into it, the more fun it actually became. I found things I forgot I even had, like my first Vera Bradley bag from high school, pictures from camp when I was in elementary school, and even old posters my friends have made me over the years that I had stuck in the back. Certain things made me laugh and others made me a little sad. It is all visual evidence of my life and how much has changed. I came to the point where throwing away things had become slightly easier, that was until I ran into a box with things from my sweet sixteenth birthday. I had stored away deflated balloons and cards. I also had my old favorite pair of jeans I wore that night and happened to rip while dancing. Where did my jeans rip, you might ask? Use your imagination...yes, right down the back. I am talking about a foot of tearing left me running to the bathroom with my best friend right behind me. After thinking back to this terrifying yet hilarious memory, I had to really ask myself, "Will I really want an old pair of ripped jeans when I am thirty years old?" We all know the answer will be no.

So after three hours of fighting with myself and four garbage bags later, I decluttered not only my closet but my mind and my life. I can not tell how much better I felt after everything was cleared out and organized. If it were up to me, I would encourage everyone to take the time to have a day or two like this a year. Take this time to reflect on the good memories of your life and declutter the bad. Try something new. Experiment with a new recipe or schedule an appointment for a new haircut. I made mine for Friday...2011 is a new year and it is up to you with what you're going to do with it.