Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
Progress
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2005 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
Yesterday (Saturday) I tidied my room, dug a bunch of seldom-worn clothes out of my dresser and closet, took them and Leonard's rejects to Buffalo Exchange, got a tiny amount in store credit and dumped the BE rejects into their donation bin, washed my sheets, and cleaned some more. And then I went to a party! Parties feel so much better after accomplishments.
I'd wanted to toss some dresses for years. Last night, I finally realized what was holding me back: the internalized, imaginary voices of my mother and sister, who think they are nice dresses and that I should wear them more often. Bah! It's my closet and my tastes and needs shall reign.
Two weeks ago, Sarah gave me some very nice clothes that don't fit her needs anymore. In fact, I am currently wearing my new favorite pair of pants, a khaki-esque dealie that she gave me. So now I feel bad that I did not reciprocate and offer my perfectly nice dresses, pants, shirts, skirts, etc. to my friends and acquaintances. But many of them were not attractive, and I really just wanted them all gone and out of my home and my life.
One can get a high from decluttering. The Buddhists know what's going on.
