Saturday 13 October 2018

Purging and good vibrations

There are few things I like better than clearing unnecessary items out of my life. I am not a believer in religion, I think most alternate medicine remedies are money making hogwash (apple cider vinegar - good for EVERYTHING), but I do actually believe in energy, or shall I say, I believe that you can change or feel the energy of your surroundings. I think that a place can feel oppressive, or positive, or just plain bad. I've been in homes where I've had to go outside afterwards and just shake off the "bad vibes".

Where am I going with all of this? I think that by clearing out needless clutter, by cleaning up your space, but freeing yourself of "stuff", you give yourself a lift, you feel better in your surroundings, and you change up the energy of that space. Last weekend, I convinced the husband to go through his armoire and drawers and rid himself of clothes he had been hanging on to for years. He didn't fit into them, they were NOT coming back in style (wide corduroy pants with pleats), they had lost their shape, or what have you. It wasn't just the armoire and the chest of drawers that were overflowing, but there were laundry baskets and Rubbermaid containers stacked in places that shouldn't have been there that were housing clothes as well. For anyone with a handy husband, does he keep t-shirts and pants as "work clothes"? You know, the ones that can get grease or paint on them, or it doesn't matter if the knees are gone or there are huge holes in them? One only needs so many work clothes.

I was very proud of how much he got rid of, as he is usually someone who hangs onto things, just in case. This isn't a bad practise when it comes to building materials, bits and pieces of electrical or plumbing items, or car parts. Those things can have a home out in the garage - his domain. Often, they do come in handy. But old clothes just take up room in an already crowded space.

I, too, added clothes, scarves, cheap purses bought on impulse, and shoes that were a little too clunky or a little too pointy. As well, a few paper back books, some puffy stuffed clothes hangers that people kept giving to me as gifts, but always took up too much space in my very small closet, and two pieces of luggage that were slightly damaged also got cleared out. This morning I loaded everything up into the back of my vehicle and drove to the nearest big town which is 45 minutes away.

Good riddance, clutter!!

The town to which I was driving, has a Value Village which is a chain store that accepts donations of clothes, household items, etc., and also sells used things at reasonable prices. It is also a go-to place for Hallowe'en costumes, so it was very busy today. I was thrilled to be able to get rid of all of my unwanted items. Gone are the days of trying to sell things at yard sales. Too much work for too little profit.

Being as it is mid-October, the scenery was nice. It is a cold day today, not much sun at all. There was even the odd sprinkle of rain. Typical fall weather. I fear our leaves were not as spectacular a display as other years. Plenty of orange, brown, or yellow, but very few vibrant reds. Here is a sample, regardless.


Tonight, we are going out for dinner to a place we've not been before. The owner / chef is from Nepal so we will see what is on offer. This is potentially pretty risky food for this area where most people don't stray from a meat and potatoes type menu. To say there are few ethnic food choices, is an understatement. I'll be obnoxious and take food pictures tonight if it is good and interesting.

How about you out in blog land? Are you a keeper or a clearer? Do you feel positive or negative energy, or is that too hocus pocus for you?

53 comments:

  1. Nepalese food is very good. I maintain my negative energy levels by keeping stuff I do not want or need, and I keep it in plastic bags, strewn around the house.

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    1. The food was excellent - quite a bit of it was curry, but there were also wonderful dumplings.

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    2. There is a good Nepalese restaurant here, and their best dish - in my opinion - is a mild curry made with chicken. There is one problem. They roughly chop the chicken into about 6 pieces using a blunt cleaver, so there are dozens of sharp bone fragments in the delicious-tasting curry. That is more than I would call 'a minor detail'.

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    3. That would put me right off! I had the beef curry with rice, curried vegetables, chick peas, flat bread, and we started with momos (vegetable, beef, and chicken filled dumplings). The only thing about the meal that wasn't great was the wine. It tasted like it had been open for a while. Still drank it.

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  2. I'm having a clear out this week. The hard part will be my stuffed animal collection.

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    1. Stuffed animals are in bags in a storage room - ready to be handed to each child when they move out permanently!

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  3. "wide corduroy pants with pleats"

    GASP!

    ;-)

    I am a clearer outer! And I definitely think you can feel it.

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  4. My brother in law had filled the entire basement with the clothing he could not bear to part with. Fortunately my sister had made him divest when she married him, more than thirty years before.

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  5. I am a clearer. I am a recovering hoarder so I have to keep on top of it. There is a box downstairs and whenever I come across anything I no longer use it goes into the bin. When the box is full it goes to a thrift store.

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    1. Good for you. You've figured out a system to keep things under control.

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  6. Have fun at the Nepalese place! Purging is a good thing, I have to do more of it, much more. I love that you ask hubby to do his own purging.

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    1. The food was so good. I would never go through my husband's things and get rid of stuff myself. He has to be the one to say "yay' or "nay" and that way he knows what he still has and won't be looking for things.

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  7. Well done! I’m motivated now.

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  8. Oh, nicely done! I bet it's such a relief to get all that stuff out of your house. It definitely improves the mood and brings in positive energy.

    My husband has those types of work clothes! Come to think of it, so do I : But I only have a couple of t-shirts and one or two pairs of old yoga pants that I keep on the side for painting projects. My husband also holds onto clothing forever and ever, and I'm hoping when I make my next donation bundle he'll finally give up something. As for me, I'm a minimalist and that pretty much explains it :) I give away a lot of things at least a couple of times a year. When the house is too full or cluttered I feel like I'm suffocating!

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    1. There's still lots more I'd like to do!! (Not clothes, but other items. We have so many things stored in boxes!)

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  9. I just gave away clothes, mountain biking gear, and household items and the charity comes to me, so I didn't even have to drive any where. There are two charities that send out postcards with a day on them to put out donated goods. Yes it is a good feeling to make room in my home.

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    1. I would love if charities came to my door! I would probably get rid of more things if they did.

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  10. We have frequent clear outs, and are quite ruthless when we do. I have also moved house quite a few times and that is an excellent way to de-clutter. But after a long hot summer, and with the weather still very mild for this time of year outside work has taken priority, so my house is in urgent need of my attention so the energy it holds is not as calm as should be. I am waiting for the rain to come, and then we shall have an indoor blitz.
    It is good that you are aware of your energy, and how it is affected by different conditions. I find that asking the Universe to protect me when I need to be in an environment which is likely to be toxic to me does help me to stay safe.
    Nice blog, and a good read.

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    1. We haven't moved in twenty years, and have been happily accumulating things ever since, ha ha. We have had yard sales now and then trying to get rid of things, but it seems to be never ending.

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  11. I totally agree that clutter is oppressive and will be having a good decluttering session next month when my daughter in law's birthday party is done and all the boxes of party stuff I am storing are gone.
    I am looking forward to it immensely.
    Hugs-x-

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  12. I am not a keeper, I see nothing in possessions at all. I am a believer in positive energy and my philosophy is to think positively at all times.

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    1. I find it hard to be positive all of the time, but it's a good thing to strive toward.

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  13. You got me. I need to clean house. Actually, my wife keeps the house orderly, except for - what to call it: my room? It is where I have my computer, loads of books, exercise equipment, fishing gear, metal detecting gear, all sort of man stuff... all stuffed into a room about 15x20 feet.
    I really need to clean house.
    the Ol'Buzzard

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    1. If all of your things are contained in the one room, that at least gives them a place. It's when items spill out into other areas (i.e. pieces of trim for an unfinished project stacked in a back hallway) that I start to lose it!

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  14. I was just looking at my closet earlier this week and started a pile of clothing I was going to put into the "other" closet. Thanks for reminding me that I don't need this stuff, I will likely never lose the 15 lbs I gained over the past 2 years, and if I ever did, I should just get new ones. My spouse does have "work clothes", which I never push to get rid of. He's been known to work on the car in his new shorts. Arghhhh!

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    1. I used to hang on to clothes that I would "fit into" once I'd lost weight. But you are correct, if you/I lost the weight, we'd celebrate by buying new clothes!

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  15. Definitely a clearer. One of my favourite expressions to use is, "I don't NOT believe in anything." All things are possible. Yes...we are all energy and everything around is is infused with our energy.

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    1. It seems like there are a lot of clearers out there!

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  16. We are working on purging some things this weekend - he in his shop, me in the house. When our hot water heater leaked a few weeks ago and we had to move a lot of things in the garage, the cleared space felt so good. Positive energy flowed for us from the tidy open area. Even a clean car can make you feel good!

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    1. True about the clean car! I don't keep a lot of stuff in my vehicle, but I accumulate little stones for sure and I notice the dust all over the dash but don't bother to do anything about it.

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  17. I did a major purge last year. If I could just convince myself to get rid of the vintage coats I tend to hoard, another whole closet would be empty.
    I hoard yarn and fabric for quilts.

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    1. It's funny the things people tend to hang on to. For you it's coats, for me it's my children's things. I'll let them decide what to get rid of when they move out!

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  18. Himself is a bit of a hoarder..being untidy, tends to get another of what he can't find! I am too..mainly of books and pots....I've now limited myself to one small wardrobe and a set of drawers, and this could be further "weeded". Himself has too many clothes with memories....
    I'm using decorating the kitchen to divest us of un-needed clutter!

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  19. De-cluttering is good!

    I do my best to end each day with a positive thought!

    All the best Jan

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    1. That's a good thing to do. If only I'd remember to do that before I turn the lights off at the end of the night.

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  20. Yes, I agree Jen, that clearing out clutter does give off positive energy. I am constantly weeding out clothing and other items that we no longer need/use. There are several local thrift stores where I can bring these items. Also, there are clothing donation bins available in the apartment building where items can be left. It's supposed to be only for clothing, but sadly lots of other items get dumped there.

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    1. I've watched a documentary / programme or two about what actually happens to all the donated clothes. It's a real eye opener!

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  21. I couldn't agree more about stuff & clutter. Mr Man also has lots of "work" clothes, special T-shirts & the like. I've asked that we have a go through his closet ... not yet, just wait are my answers. I have a friend that clears her husband's stuff one item at a time, he never seems to notice! ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. I was quite delighted that my husband agreed to go through things. He's really pleased with how much space he has now.

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  22. I'm definitely a clearer. Sometimes I clear too much and end up with regrets. Clearer the other halfs stuff is the problem. I always throw some of his stuff when changing from thin summer to heavy winter. As for work clothes, I so totally agree. How many darned holey shirts does he need?
    I'm looking around now enjoying seeing a little more floor space. Our house was so airy and empty when we moved in 10 years ago and now it's like a damn warehouse. How many salad bowls and fancy plates can you have before you go crazy?

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    1. Kitchen items do tend to attract my eye. I'm more liable to buy some sort of kitchen thing than clothes for myself!

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  23. I totally agree with you - clearing spaces creates positive energy. I am constantly on a purge and have gotten almost done with my clothing purge. I have one giant shearling coat that my sister (dumped) bestowed upon me - I think that will go to a consignment shop - and then I am on to holiday ornaments, filing, paper piles. It's downright exhilarating!

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    1. Paper!!!! Don't even get me started on paper. My whole world is paper.

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  24. I don't save things; my husband does. I will admit so often when we/he needs a part for a piece of equipment or special tool (we haven't used in 30 years) he comes up with it and that's much appreciated. And no doubt saves us money. On the other hand, my areas are quite organized; his are a disaster. I'm still not sure how we've managed to live together as long as we have.

    But (and here's the great thing), he seems to be passing into a phase of his life where he's actually talking about getting rid of a lot of his stuff . . . books, old files, sporting equipment he'll never use . . . which means, I think, he's starting to believe that having so much stuff does weigh one down. Now if I can just get him to follow through . . . ;o}

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    1. That's funny that you are so opposite that way. Does it ever drive you nuts?

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  25. The Big Bear and I have been decluttering since about last year this time. When we knew we probably would do a huge downsizing and move from 10 acres of mountaintop to a small parcel in the city. For us that meant not only our own "stuff" but "stuff" that we have moved around of the children's because they were either in school or had no room for their things once they were out of school. But it also meant getting rid of the things that you have to have when you live in the deep woods.....snow blower and plow, shovels, chain saws, etc., etc. We're getting there!

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  26. A bit of a keeper I am afraid and having just cleared my late mother in law's house I should really think again but then there are all those items from her house that might just come in useful! Charity shops are a big thing here and they were also move items onto the rag trade.
    Old work clothes? Husband is a farm so he lives in them!

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