Under a pile of "things"

I tend to hoard things.

I even hoard shopping receipts and other such useless stuff. But having recently done an ultimate tidy-up of my room (first in ages), I have to say that there is something therapeutic in getting rid of all this clutter.

All of a sudden there is actual room in my wardrobe for all the dresses and skirts in my collection. Books and boxes fit nicely onto the shelves and don't take up the space at the top  of the wardrobe. After all there isn't that much that I need. At uni I'm probably one of the most compactly packed people- my life can be stored in two plastic boxes and a small suitcase with books. At home the situation is slightly different, because things have accumulated across those years. There are tens of postcards, letters, documents, unidentified cables, trousers that I no longer wear, tights, socks, hats, random pieces of papers and cuts from newspapers.

I couldn't believe how much stuff can fit into this room. Now I feel like I've got rid of some burden holding me down.*

I've recently read an an interview with a woman who has invited people to come to her flat and take whatever they liked. She got rid of all her things and set off for a long walk across Poland. I found it quite extraordinary, because I doubt that I could just get rid of all my belongings. I need a material place to go back to with all the memories attached to it. Could I live without it all? There are people who do. People have nothing and are happy, whereas so often those who have plenty turn out to really have very little.

So now I'm enjoying my clutter-free life in order to see things that I could't see from under my pile of "things." Less means more. At least in this context.

* And clothes were easy. I know some people have a problem with getting rid of their old clothes, but I have a very simple system: if I didn't wear something during the past year, I know it should not be in my wardrobe, however pretty it is. Simple. Just stick to it.