Letting go of a few things: De-cluttering continued

"Getting rid of the clutter is not about letting go of things that are meaningful to you. It's about letting go of the things that no longer contribute to your life ... so that you have the time and the energy and the space for the things that do." - Elaine St. James (from the chapter, "Getting rid of stuff doesn't mean getting rid of everything" in the book, Living the Simple Life)

via Windlost

Yesterday, when I was helping my client sort through old papers and files, we actually came across that quote. How perfect, right? She had written it down in a little notebook and then had forgotten about it. I love that we found it in the middle of going through our first de-cluttering day.

via Windlost

It says it perfectly. Today I worked with another client. We are working on a guest room, but as is common, working on one room often leads to other rooms. She wants to simplify her life and make things easier to care for. This gal is a quilter and has a room that is devoted just to her sewing but it is cramped and filled with a lot of other things (dolls, kid's toys from days long ago, and a lot of memorabilia). The things she has in the room make her happy but they are cutting into the space she has for working. And so we talked about how sometimes, letting go of a few things is actually freedom if it opens up time or space (and energy) to do other things. We talked about how sometimes we are willing to take things out of a space but are not willing to part with them completely. I think that sometimes 'the process' is a gradual letting go. And so we decided that some of the things that she is not sure of, we will place in boxes and put away for now. Sometimes that is a gentler way to begin.

Anyway, that's it for today ... just a little 'food' for thought.

Medallion Damask Soumak Rug - Shades of Light

Oh, and this rug ... my current 'love'!