Permanent Residence

Permanent Residence. 

When we moved from our house into our apartment we pared down as much as we could, and brought only those things we deemed important to our new residence. Except, now that we have been here for three months I'm having second thoughts about some of their importance. 

As I've gone through many of the items I'm finding that they really don't seem to have a place in my life any more, and it makes me wonder why I'm still hanging on? I read something the other day by blogger Michelle Rohr that 
seemed to address this very thing. "The mindset here is that you don't need to give every little thing permanent residence in your home. Very few things deserve that placement." 

What I've discovered is that when you cut the number of rooms in your house significantly suddenly knick-knacks have no where to go, only a limited number of walls need pictures, seasonal decorations don't seem quite as important, and books need to be pared down to favorites.

What once seemed so important now spends its time in a Rubbermaid tub waiting for a possible reprieve at the next house. Except, you begin to realize that you might not want to drag it there, and kind of like living a more pared down life. 

Especially, things that you have held on to that no longer reflect your interests or where you are in your life. Bicycles and helmets have made their way to the farm knowing full well they will never be ridden again. An over-flowing collection of markers will probably not be used as frequently, and could be limited to just a few. Skeins of yarn sit waiting to be crocheted or knitted into another unused scarf. Scrapbooking material isn't quite so useful in an era of digital photography. 

Maybe it's time to let go of past interest that if truth be known were probably let go of years ago. Rather than focusing so much on what I used to do, maybe I should set my sights on the things I want to do today. Just because something has been a part of my life doesn't mean it gets a life sentence in my home.