MY TAKE
I found it one of the most liberating experiences. I tend to be very Italian when I least expect it (duh), and that is a Country where we rarely move, we live in the house where we were born until we get married, and there’s always enough attic to keep stuff. The habit of keeping is deeply rooted, we don’t toss, throw, dispose, we use all the leaves of a lettuce, and we don’t challenge ourselves with the question: why? As I was getting ready to move for the non-Italian 6th time in 20 years, it was the perfect occasion.
WHAT I LEARNED
· Funny part, through the month, the more things were eliminated, the more people joined the challenge, creating a domino’s effect like one of those chocolate fountains where you dip strawberries.
· I don’t need to keep all the Christmas cards, bows and wrapping papers from birthdays past, wedding notes all guarded in boxes to keep the memories. The most important word in the above process is memories and those exist whether or not you look at the card. Besides, the above mentioned memorabilia had been guarded in those beautiful decorative boxes and never been looked at.
Preach it girl: how many of you has ever looked at the wedding cards after sending the thank you notes?
· Clutter absorbs bacteria, dust and ill thoughts. Clutter insinuates itself in the mind and becomes addictive, like junk food, the more you have, the more you want.
· Finding drawers filled with electronics made me feel like a hoarder, literally. Why would you keep stuff like the first version of a Blackberry (may RIP) or of an iPod? Move on already.
· It hurts, at times you feel empty, you want to cry, a part of you has been trashed, burned, donated. In truth, it’s only a part of a past you and keeping it alive is counterproductive.
· Parting is good, find the reason for parting from things, just do it, keep the momentum, don’t stop. Your lifestyle has changed, your body morphed with the years, you moved to a different climate, you divorced, you found the love of your life, all of the above.
· I became an adamant promoter of ‘save the planet’: can’t possibly think of tossing the unwanted in the trash, not good to the environment nor my conscience. In Miami is not easy to recycle and if you attempt to properly dispose of polluting materials you are looked at a nerdy bohemian from the 70s With this project, I have found out of many new outlets that would make a treasure out of my trash, none or few in South Florida.