Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Shoe Purge

I woke up this morning and it felt like fall.  The wind was blowing the leaves off the trees and there was a definite chill in the air.  I love this time of year.  I pulled out my favorite red cable knit sweater and ankle boots and smiled.  I get this feeling every year … comfort, warmth, peace.  It makes me think about slow cooked crock pot meals and a fire in my fireplace.

Eleven days until my 49th birthday.  I heard something the other day during a teleconference that I’ve been replaying over and over in my head.  I can’t quote it exactly but the gist of it was:  that in order to be happy you should be spending your money on experiences instead of on stuff.  That hit me like bucket of ice water to the face.  Obviously, this wasn’t a work-related teleconference because in corporate America the general theme is to work so you can acquire more stuff.  And I fell in line with that for years.  Now, I look around at all my stuff and I ask myself, “what is the point?”  Not that I have a lot but I have enough.  But when I look back on my life and the things that I’ve experienced … those things will stay with me forever.  Last year’s trip to Chicago, the Bahamian cruise with my daughter, watching my kids graduate and go to college, the figure competitions … all of those things represent money well spent.

I don’t need any more stuff.  That’s the mindset that I’m adopting in 2014.  I need to downsize and prepare myself for living with less.  I’ve already cleaned out half my closet and got rid of a bunch of clothes that I cannot wear and I have no desire to replace them.  I have enough.  I got rid of my wine rack.  Now, I need to tackle the shoes.  I have more shoes in my closet than should be allowed.  By this weekend, I plan to go through the shoes and identify at least a dozen pair (or more) that I can get rid of.  Either sell or give away.  I’m going to post them on instagram if you’d like to take a peek at what I’m getting rid of.  My username is:  chelerene.  I'm a size 9-1/2 or 10.

It’s time to get rid of the stuff.

2 comments:

Empty Nester said...

I'm right there with ya on this one! I've been purging and purging and purging some more. The most I simplify, the better I feel!

Remnants of U said...

I should be purging right now...but I pulled out the computer instead.