Clutter vs. Memories

​What's on your bucket list?  Making Memories or Accumulating STUFF?

​The truth is, I've buried a lot of people.  

You heard me right.  I've been blessed to know many wonderful people in my life who counted me as a close relative, but who then passed on and left me with a grim job to do.  While their lives may have blessed me, their stuff did NOT.

It's amazing what we think has value while we're still here on the planet.  We spent a lot of money on it or we hear it might increase in value, so we hang on to it. We dust it. We move it. We deal with it. It burdens us.  But hey, it's part of a collection or maybe.... and,  here is the absolute clutter creating phrase of all time "We might need it someday."

I want you to stop and think what you really NEED.  Not much, right?  If you were to make a few lists to combat the clutter that overtakes your life, it would be pretty simple.  You could have the NEED list - clean clothes, basic hygiene tools, safe and warm/cool bed to sleep in, medicine and food. Your second list would be the BLESSED list - these are the items you're blessed by regularly - items that warm the cockles of your heart. It has nothing to do with monetary value - you love that one shirt that you wear over and over.  You would never throw out the baby books.  Maybe you have a favorite movie or book, or even the perfect snack you always keep stocked in the kitchen. These two lists would be pretty short compared to the actual amount of items you own, I'm guessing.  That list is just a bunch of STUFF.

Stop and think what you really NEED.  Not much, right?

​Your next few lists you made for yourself, would be pretty tough to take, if you were brave enough to write them. The third list - that's the items you keep because it meant something to someone you care about or even to you at one time, but now it collects dust. Is it your precious moments collection, your trophies from high school? This list comes with a "should" to keep you holding onto it. "I should really keep that, shouldn't I?" And so you store it, move it and clean it day after day, week after week, year after year. You're keeping it until you die and sentence someone else to deal with it.

And that's what your fourth and fifth list are comprised of, too. First you have the stuff that you also move, clean and store it because you bought it, you own it and that's pretty much it. You're used to it, so why not? Some of you even have a fifth list - a Truly Trash list. These are the items your relatives will some day roll their eyes at and say "Why did she/he EVER buy or keep this?" You know what I'm talking about if you've ever had the great fun of shoveling through other people's "treasures." 

Some of you have a fifth list - a Truly Trash list.  

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Compare your bravely made, 5 lists of STUFF and CLUTTER with the memories you've made. The best memories are always the ones we pour the most of ourselves into - holidays and happenings, milestones and of course, trips.  

When you get out of that house and start making memories, you make a difference in the life of your family. You grow in your heart, mind and spirit and bond in a very special way.  

But if you spend all your money on more stuff, will you get to make memories?  Most of us don't have enough disposable income for both stuff and the making of memories.  My question for you today is, which will you choose?  Because I can tell you something for sure - when you do pass away and your family sifts through both your stuff and the memories they made with you, they will smile at one and sigh at the other.  Do you want your family and friends to gather around your pile of accumulated things or sit around the fire and laugh over the times you shared together?  

When you do pass away and your family sifts through both your stuff and the memories they made with you, they will smile at one and sigh at the other.  

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