17 years ago (April 2001 to be exact) I was writing on a site called "Themestream". This is what I wrote:
Good Morning to all of you out there who might also be awake at 3 am! Teela, Molly, and Thibbadeaux (our 3 cats - all deceased now in 2018) surround me with their love and support even at this early hour. Molly is jabbing at Teela trying to get her to play. Thibs is lolling around... just being cute.
The theme of this post is 'focusing on the present'. I guess one can't get any more present than 3 am. It's an odd time - too early to actually do anything and almost too late to try to get back to sleep. So when all else fails, I write.
I could use this time to dust my china cabinets, you know the ones that contain all the little treasures you collect from friends or travel (or traveling friends). I have 3 (china cabinets, not friends) I'm sure it must be these wee hours of the morning that are making me silly. It takes me all day to lovingly go through even one cabinet as I tend to reminisce on each item as it is dusted and carefully rearranged.
Most of my treasures consist of a hodge podge of pretty china cups and saucers picked up in second shops in England or France, a lovely Lladro figure from Harrrod's, a few Waterford pieces from our trip to Ireland, and small seal and puffin figurines picked up on the Orkney Islands .
Well, I'm probably too knackered (is that the right word? hopefully it means tired and silly) to dust anything at this hour without breaking it, so I'll sack that idea.
Well, it's now 2018 and I still have the occasional 3am wake up call. It doesn't happen often (thank goodness), but it does happen. And although the remaining cats here now are Tux, Julie, and Ghost... they react pretty much the same as our others did back then. They are happy to see me up at strange hours and generally join me in whatever endeavor I choose.
My 3 China cabinets have now been reduced to one - having given one to my daughter and another to a friend. And as you all well know - as we age, we need to simplify and downsize. However, a few things were kept...
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| Lladro from Harrod's |
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| Aynsley cup from second shop |
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| puffin and seal from Orkney Islands |
These too will go to my daughter (or a grand daughter) eventually.
But for now I will continue to dust them and enjoy the memories they bring forth.
I'm sure that many of you out there do the same.
It has become a little easier to go through things and sort. I've been using these questions:
1. Do I need this?
2. Do I want this?
3. Do my kids want this?
4. Would anyone want this?
If all answers are no, it goes into the trash.
Do you have a system that works for you?
I love your four questions and they made me smile; I will use them as I de-clutter.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of help... although I may not be the best example.
DeleteI love both the puffin and the seal and would be hanging on to them as well.
ReplyDeleteSince I haven't any children or even siblings, I don't need a system--lol. It's only a matter of what I'm ready to let go of. I have a few things from my baby days and childhood that I have no desire to get rid of, even though they're stored away, carefully wrapped up. Most things, however, are long gone, nothing being of value. The actual valuables (jewelry, etc.) had to be hocked decades ago (by Mom), to put food on our table after she and Dad divorced. (Dad didn't provide any child support and "conveniently" ended up declaring bankruptcy, I believe.) More than you needed to know! Maybe it's easier for me, though, not having those "treasures" to concern myself about.
Kim, it's only a treasure if you care about it. None of my treasures have any real value... except for the memories connected with them. I should have mentioned that I also collect rocks. My dearest one is one I found on a beach in Dingle, Ireland... it's smooth and black and for whatever reason it makes me happy to hold it.
DeleteIt must be something to do with age. I've taken to clearing out lately but there are some things that I still think I may need ( you know what I mean, lol)
ReplyDeleteI should get rid of some of my wool and fabric, there's no way that I shall use it all before I expire but I can't do it, not just now. lol
Briony
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I understand, Briony. Sometimes the time is just not right. That's perhaps why we need to go through things on a regular basis... baby steps, right?
DeleteI declutter, but I like to have things around that I enjoy as well. It's a balancing act, but then isn't much of life?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a balancing act. But some of us (not me) are better at it than others. That doesn't mean that I'm a hoarder, but I do find it hard to let go.
DeleteI don't tend to collect things, and when my mother died, I inherited a few things but my sisters and brother took the rest. They knew I would probably not keep them, and they were right. I love the seal very much, though! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat little fat seal is adorable, isn't he? He's a John O'Groats pottery piece.
DeleteDear Rian, in the Liadro is the young girl holding a cat? If so, I can surely see why you keep this. It's both lovely and tender.
ReplyDeleteAs to decluttering. I sit down once a year and try to think of what's on each table top and in the hutch. If I can't remember something, then I put it and all others "unremembered" things in a box and put the box in the closet. If the following year I have not missed them, then I give them away to family of to local thrift shops. So I'm winnowing down the number of things I have year by year. It's a good feeling, isn't it?!?!? Peace.
Yes, Dee, she is holding a kitten and when I saw it, it reminded me of my daughter and her kitten... so it was my Harrod's of London purchase years ago.
DeleteI do tend to keep things that have meaning from people I love but I am sure will go in a yard sale when I am gone. I did really like the puffin and seal.
ReplyDeleteI know, Patti. It's the memory that holds you, not really the object.
DeleteWell you have the greatest company when you are up at 3am. Hopefully the four questions will get you thru cleaning out or getting rid of stuff. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteWorld of Animals
Yes, I agree. Thanks for visiting with us.
Deletelove the color on the aynsley; every time we move we downsize with yard sales, now we take unused or unwanted items to the trash to treasures sales, if we can sell it we do, if we can't we donate it. I am sorry I got rid of a lot of my kitchen items in Florida like my canning stuff because I would like to can tomatoes again, if I can pick them up at the trash to treasure sale I may re=invest again, been reading canned tomato may leach chemicals and in glass they'd be much safer since I eat so many tomato based dishes and home canned is so much better. I don't have any relatives to inherit that would want anything anyway so I must dispose of it all myself with Gary's selling help.
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