Clean Closets

I have to admit, I’m not good at throwing things away. My closets are full of “well, I might need this sometime” stuff. And my garage? How does anyone ever fit two cars in a two car garage? Some of it is sentimental, like the little keepsake box that held my treasures when I was ten. Some of it is utilitarian, like the business cards of former customers (never mind that they probably don’t work at those companies any more.) But they’re all there, and they’re all taking up space in my drawers, shelves and closets.

I recently went to my closet to hang up a new sweater and realized how cramped it was in there. If I want space for new clothes, I’m going to have to get rid of some of the old ones! So I started going through the closet, and sure enough, the sentimental and utilitarian entered in. Aw, look at this blouse, it was a gift. I don’t want to get rid of a gift – it has meaning! And look at this skirt. It’s perfectly good, and if I ever have to dress for work every day again I’ll need it, won’t I?

It wasn’t easy, but I grit my teeth and filled a few bags with clothing to donate to charity. I convinced myself that the dress I hadn’t worn for ten years wasn’t serving me any more, that the shoes I forgot I had were outdated and useless to me. They might be good for someone else now, but not for me.

But it’s not just what we store in our closets that becomes worn out, that no longer serves us. It’s what we store in our minds as well. If we can’t let go of an old shirt, how much harder is it to give up an old belief? And how much more powerful that belief, that is with us always, than that shirt, that we can forget about for a while. But beliefs, like clothes and gadgets, outlive their usefulness to us and become clutter.