Survey #184 Response from Anonymous user
| Pronouns | She/her |
|---|---|
| Describe an item or collection that you’re rationally prepared to release, but something always seems to keep you from making the final decision to let it go. | Old papers or materials from my former work life, mostly on my computer. |
| How do you feel when you think about letting go of the item you described in your answer to the previous question? | It is some sort of grief about not being able to work any more. There are some fond memories but although I shrunk my collection considerably there is still some stuff (digital and paper) I think I might want to use again if I should recover from my chronic illness. It's part holding on to that hope and part feeling sad about being too sick to work at all in any job. Also I feel I did valuable work and experienced interesting and significant work relationships before and holding on to some stuff makes me feel valuable and having done something meaningful. But obviously this doesn't have to be connected with keeping stuff. On the other hand the stuff is a link to feeling good about myself. I really try to keep just a small selection. It is hard to face my feelings about being in early retirement. |
| Complete the following statement: “I know I won’t keep this item forever, so I would like ___.” | ... someone to help me let go of it. |
| Fill in the blank: “Watching and listening to The Clutter Fairy Weekly makes me want to try ___.” | ... to finally manage my paperwork with ease. And also I'd like to give you both a big hug! |
| Name one or more of your favorite Clutter Fairy-isms (e.g., “thin the herd”) or decluttering and organizing mnemonic devices (e.g., OHIO—Only Handle It Once). | "to comfortably manage the stuff you keep" |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). | I currently live in a house with two appartments in it. One is inhabited by me and my husband plus pets and in the other appartment lives a family with one teenager. The mother and I had been close friends when we decided to buy the house together nine years ago but in the last three years this friendship deteriorated and is now in ruins mostly because she lost interest in this friendship and has shown quite toxic behaviour. I've struggled for months to find a good solution because it still makes me sad (and sometimes angry) to see and hear her. Do you have any idea how to approach a situation like this? I thought about involving a mediator but my former friend is not interested in talking about our friend-relationship so I just have to deal with it. I am not sure if it's even possible for me to find ease in this living-situation. After we moved in my former friend used to talk about being a "house-family" and she once mentioned that If something should happen to her and her husband maybe me and my husband could take care of their son. It's hard for me to have sort of lost her while living in the same house. I wonder if that fact will in time not be a problem for me anymore or if it is time to get more distance and maybe move out... |
| Future topics | How to make big life decisions. |
Comments
Suzanne:
I am glad I read your responses. Thank you!! Your reply made me think of my own items in this category and in your shoes. I hadn’t understood that it’s time for me to let some of that go, or maybe most of it. 🙏
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