A keepsake is defined by Webster's dictionary as "something that you keep to help you remember a person, place, or event : a memento or souvenir."
• How are you remembering that person if the item is packed away in a box that is covered in dust taking up necessary space that could be used to "live" your
life today?
• How many of you have keepsakes, memorabilia and "can't get rid of that", that you are unable to locate?
• How many of you have items that you have carried from home to home that have never been unpacked and frankly you have no idea what's even in
that box anymore?
• How many of you keep items for someday? Someday, when my children move into their own homes they may want this, someday I will have time for that hobby, someday my child may need that box for a school project, someday I will be a size 6 again, someday, someday, someday ...
We often confuse the memory of the person with the individual themselves. A memory IS NOT the person, place or event that you cherished, loved or want to remember. A memory is locked deep inside our hearts and our minds. By letting the item go you are not dismissing or forgetting the individual, the event or the place that you loved so much.
Ask yourself the following:
1. Do I like or enjoy the item?
2. When was the last time I used the item?
3. When is the last time that I remember seeing the item?
4. Is the item more valuable than the space that it is occupying?
5. What does it "cost" to keep the item? Space, health, time, money,
family, friends, ...
6. What is the worst thing that could happen if I no longer retained the item?
7. How would my life change if I no longer owned the item?
8. Would my life, or the life of another, improve if I donated or sold the item?
9. Am I placing myself or my loved ones in harms way by maintaining the item?
10. Is my physical, emotional or mental health being adversely affected by keeping the item?
Check back next time for The Physical, Emotional and Mental effects of Clutter...
