A reader sent along: Designers on the one thing they regret decluttering.
As I read it, it made me think about all of the lovely things I wish I had kept. It also has me wondering if it is just me or is the decluttering pendulum swinging the other way these days?
my collection (large) of Warhol's Interview bifold newspapers from the 1970s
ReplyDeleteA pair of skis. Dynamic VR 17’s. What Killy skied on in Grenoble. Would make a great
ReplyDeletecontinued….would make a great holder for mud room coat hooks.
ReplyDeleteThe VR 17 was a great ski, for its time. There are a lot of old skis around. Everyone always wants the latest technology no matter if the difference cannot really change one’s skiing. Some hang onto their old skid and let them sit in the basement or garage. I have 3 pair I’ll unlikely ever use again. But they look good leaning up against the wall. Old skis also look good fashioned into the backs of Adirondack chairs.
DeleteThese are things. Not hearts and souls. The older you are the less and less important things are, whether lovely not.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t expect such depth and heart from you.
DeleteThe more I grow in popularity, the lonelier it gets. Because you don't really know me. You just know this part of me. You fell in love with that.
DeleteCorrection- I did not fall in love with any part of you. I just find it interesting that someone who put so much time and effort into being a sarcastic jackass could even dig that last comment out of themselves.
DeleteI simply come here to this blog because I miss the thing before prep. It is a rare day when I come across someone who is just that. No matter where I travel it is virtually nonexistent. It makes me think of my childhood and some of the people who were up in my orbit. Sadly, they are all dead and gone
DeleteDear editor Isn't anon at 12:26 beneath your standards?
DeleteDear Anonymouse 12:26 Thanks for the compliment.
DeleteA tiger Maple daybed .... and a collection of Bermuda stamps ... dressing table set of bakelite with my great grandmother's monogram. To be honest, I tend to err on the side of cluttering ... collars up !!!
ReplyDeleteI never regret decluttering as if I really want to keep something I do and it leaves room to replace items with something I like better. Life is too short to have these kind of regrets over things that really aren't important
ReplyDeleteDuring the early stages of the pandemic when I was self-isolating as much as possible I passed the time by decluttering. I regret nothing about it. I discovered that life is easier and simpler with fewer possessions. The challenge now is to avoid re-cluttering.
ReplyDeleteI avoid regrets by not decluttering.
ReplyDeleteI concur with the two contributors above. I have never regretted decluttering. The more I give away, the freer and happier I feel. I love space, light, ease, calm, and a few beautiful, carefully chosen pieces of furniture and works of art.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I lament over many things I've "decluttered" - clothes, household items, the list goes on. Today, I do not declutter. I take to identifying one item at a time as I grow tired of it, it then goes immediately to the thrift store. Despite still having a good amount of "things" and clothes, I've found life feels less cluttered without those little things around that are not my favorites, even if it is just having gotten rid of one unwanted trinket from the curio. --HLC
ReplyDeleteWhen I was much younger, and my path seemed endless, I was afraid to discard items that I might use in the hazy future. Might use, might use … maybe … careful … someday?
ReplyDeleteOf course, it’s well known that our possessions eventually begin to own us at some point. This sad phenomenon is the exact opposite of what we intended. Decluttering reduces the complexity of a life often too complex.
And as mentioned above, decluttering can be good for the soul by stripping away all the non-essentials for happiness and meaning. (They say that the French Buddhist Monk, Matthieu Ricard, is the “happiest man in the world” - after having decluttered his life as a biochemist and going to Nepal. He owns nothing to worry about, and is the personification of Mies Van Rohe’s famous adage “Less is More.”)
Also, it's surprising how little I miss the things I’ve gotten rid of. I have no regrets. I’m still a materialist, but on a much more manageable scale. I’ll always like nice stuff, but as Einstein said “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
My late father’s prefect condition houndstooth sport coat. I still cannot believe I did it. A 40 R and I wear a 44 L but oh to still have it. JDV
ReplyDeleteAges ago I had a tinned steel double basket for frying bird's nest baskets in which to serve other things and a stove top croque monsieur plaque. It would be nice to have them back, but I seem to be doing alright without them. Otherwise, no regrets.
ReplyDeleteI greatly downsized my Rolex collection a few years ago and I regret most of those sales.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd kept my sweater collection from my teens and early 20s. There were some very beautiful ones I wish I could just see again including classic Pringles.
ReplyDeleteOh my, yes, I had a very beautiful and quite extensive collection of shetland sweaters from high school and my mother got rid of all of them when I moved away! --HLC
DeleteI simply do not declutter!
ReplyDeleteFunny you should make that comment. My wife is still collecting photos of our dogs and horses. Still inheriting old furniture from relatives. Still buying paintings our home looks like a museum.
DeleteI had a Kubota UTV (the RT-X 1100C, to be precise) which I used for snowplowing our private road and driveway. After several mild winters as well as hiring a reliable contractor to do the road, I decided I didn't need it any longer and donated it to my local Humane Society. They get far more use out of it than I ever did. This winter, though, has been an old-fashioned cold, snowy northern Michigan winter and when I'm standing in driveway behind a snowblower with sub-zero winds blowing the snow back in my face, I really miss the luxury of sitting in an enclosed heated cab for that duty.
ReplyDelete