I have a little box that I have had for many years. It houses the most random things. Inside are a bunch of papers and a few photos that didn’t make it into albums. This box has receipts, pictures, medical information, and copies of bills.

I try to clean this box out every year so that it doesn’t accumulate, however, it’s been almost three years since I have done so. The box was starting to overflow and yesterday, I knew it was time for some spring cleaning.

Thoughts

I pulled out everything in my box and started going through each of the contents one by one. I made three piles. One to shred, one pile for trash, and one pile to put back into my box. As I was going through everything, I ended up coming across a few surprises. I found my learner’s permit when I was first learning how to drive. This was decades ago! I also found an award that I had gotten at my old job. As I kept looking, I found some paperwork for past surgeries and medical tests that I have had, it made me emotional seeing all of these things at once.

I held onto the important and special things, and I put aside any bill stubs, etc. that were a year old for shredding. My heart was feeling heavy. I have a habit of holding onto things that I don’t need. I always think, “what if I need this one day?” I haven’t needed anything yet, it doesn’t mean that I won’t, but the odds are small! This is why I will start to minimalize what I put into my everything box.

All Done!

Once I was finished with the task, I felt so much lighter. The box was 1/3 as full as it was before, and it felt great to get organized and cleaned out. Clutter in our lives affects us mentally. It is great to do a little spring cleaning now and then. This can be true of life itself.

Holding onto things makes us feel safe, but it can also make us feel weighed down. Letting go is hard to do, but it can make room for new things and make us feel free!