A process, not an event, DRAT!

I'm in!! Phase I complete! I accomplished the move in fairly organized fashion, no major logistical snafus to contend with.

The house I'm sharing I had not seen until the night before my move. The owner and my new housemate is a friend of my sister's however so I had a good description to go on. When I walked in for the first time, I took a deep breath and felt my spirit relax and my possibilities expand with the tall ceilings, spare clean furnishings, multitude of windows, broad expanse of floor and wonderful outdoor living spaces with big views. The universe seems to have provided exactly what my soul is craving.

There is a fly in the ointment however, a POX on it! I still have more stuff than I had hoped, grrrr, PHHHHFFFT!!! I think I've imported more clutter than I wanted into my new space. Granted, comparatively, it is light years away from where I was, I will acknowledge and pat myself on the back for that. And yet, alas, it's more than I had hoped for.

I had mentioned that I was finding that it's harder to reduce to as few things as I wanted than I anticipated. I threw so much away, made many runs to Half Price Books and various thrift stores, became an expert Craig's list purveyor of my gently used things.....still so much stuff. It is disturbing how many belongings I had, still have. The accumulation of so many years' worth of things, most of which I just had because it was a hassle to rid myself of them.

And, you know, you buy antiques thinking they are worth something, will always be at least worth what you paid. Nothing could be further from the truth. Things go in and out of style I find. My charming country French furniture salon set is 'out' at the moment so I could only get a fraction of what I paid even though it's 125 years old, charming and in great shape.

So, spending the effort and money on those things, looking back, seems wasted in a lot of ways.

The truth is, there are very few of my things that I really love anymore. The antiques.....lovely, but most of them I wouldn't miss, they had become part of the wallpaper. As I feel right now, if I moved back into my house today, I would not take most of my furniture. The biggest reason to keep it is the fact that it is expensive to buy furniture. But, to have an emptier house would not bother me one bit.

So, I'm realizing, this makeover is looking more like a process than an event. I have months before I have to make any other decisions about it but it has been a hugely eye-opening experience so far. What I have learned about myself and my life trappings could fill several chapters of a book.

EXACTLY what I was hoping for though! A change that provoked reflections on what is really important to me. What will be a source of vitality and energy for me going forward and what will suck it dry with little payoff......I'm well on my way to gaining insight about that!