Life's Baggage

After 35 years of marriage and 4 children, one is bound to have amassed a mountain of possessions. Even the periodical throwing out of unwanted or broken items over the years never really put a dent in the steady accumulation of 'stuff'.  My last house move was in 2002 and that involved moving from a spacious old Black & White pre-war house we had occupied for 10 years into Tampines Court.  Stuff did get thrown away then, but mostly old baby items, the rest I managed to get in somehow, it was a tight squeeze.

This next move will be brutal and the non-sentimentalist in me is chafing at the bit to get it done.
I have four simple questions to ask of each object in turn - 

1. Does this serve a function? 
2. Do I need it in my life?
3. Do I have space for it in my new home?
4. Will my daughters want this when I am gone?

The answer to the first three questions is a simple yes or no. The fourth requires the sending of a WhatsApp pic to my girls and waiting for their determination. I really should not be surprised by their unanimous reply of 'Throw!' to so many things. They are their mother's daughters after all.  For example, a heavy wooden sideboard which has been in their lives since they were born; I thought surely one of them would like that as an heirloom. No! they cried, it's hideous, get rid of it!  So be it.

Invisible stuff
In truth, I started the whittling down process last year, weeks before my husband's retirement. Being a hoarder who sees a future use in every useless object, I had to make sure that the forthcoming moving period was not going to be difficult for him and quietly removed things by stealth without them ever being missed. I started with the hidden stuff and stuff that hadn't seen the light of day in 16 yrs. I emptied presses of unused kitchen appliances, excess delph from our party days in Changi, and goodness knows how many old computer screens, hard discs & assorted computer paraphernalia hidden away in drawers and the back of the storeroom. Nothing was missed. I grew bolder and removed entire bookcases and tons of books. Again, nothing missed. The bedrooms were beginning to feel decluttered and delightful. I gathered all the bags and shoes in the house into one pile and chose only those I actually used on a regular basis. I did the same with sheets, towels, cutlery, scissors, you name it, they all got pared down to a manageable number. That was Round I only. I will repeat the same process again before I leave, I feel I may have been too lenient on a number of items.
The storeroom remained formidable and dense as ever, but I have been making great strides in that area this past week

Visible stuff

The big stuff I couldn't touch until now.

Now that we know what our future home looks like; snazzy and small,  the impossibility of bringing all that we have has sunk in with my husband. He is now a keen helper in the downsizing process. Only this morning he took a hammer to a super-heavy wooden wardrobe that was unfit to pass on and broke it down into smaller pieces before removing it to the dustbin centre. This would have been unthinkable a few short weeks ago.  Last week I put my upright Yamaha piano on Carousel for free and 2 men were at my door in 45 mins to cart it away. From wall paintings to a cello,  whatever I deem is in good enough condition to give / sell away will get one chance to find a new home, or else it's the dump for them.

Stuff still to go: 

• Large vintage 1950's teak wardrobe  Sold 
• Large Chinese watercolour painting (framed)  Sold
• Medium-sized oil painting Sold
• Yamaha upright piano  Taken
• SMD Rework Station Sold
• Vintage 1946 Singer Sewing machine 1 (Electric) Sold
• Vintage 1948 Singer Sewing machine 2 (Electric) Sold
• Vintage 1954 Singer Sewing machine 3 (Electric) Sold
• Dining table  Discarded
• 1 Queen sized mattress Taken
• 1 Carpet   Discarded
• Computer table  Discarded
• 1 Large Ikea wardrobe Discarded
• 1 Queen sized divan bed Discarded 
• 3-seater + 2-seater sofa  Discarded
• Office chair  Discarded
• 2x Ikea Wardrobes  Taken
• 2x Ikea sets of Drawers Taken
• 2 x 54" Crestar AirVac ceiling fans Sold
• 3 x 48" Crestar AirVac ceiling fans Sold
• 2 Queen sized bed frames Taken
• 160cm TV console Sold
• Oven with Cabinet Taken
• Samsung Fridge (2 yrs old) Sold
• Stand-alone Gas Cooker Discarded
• 3 x 13+yr old cats,  names : Scruffy, Nuisance & Gorgeous ....any takers?

Not one item removed so far has caused me a moment's worth of grief. My aim is to eventually move with just the bare necessities and to begin a new phase of life surrounded only by that which is essential or loved. I want to recreate that feeling of lightness not felt since we were both young and carefree and just starting out, unburdened by the oppressive weight of possessions. I am not there yet, I have weeks of sorting to go, but it's getting easier by the day.