I constantly vacillate between downsizing and the necessity of getting rid of things... and the urge to bring more Found Treasures in! *Le Sigh*
It's a constant battle for me since I'm not entirely comfortable with "too much"... nor am I entirely comfortable with letting go of the amount of things that I strive to rid myself of. The sometimes Impulse to be more of a Minimalist rather than a Maximalist! *Smiles*
And so I sway between the two extremes it seems... because at times I have a mind to get rid of the majority of it... and then... the deciding becomes too difficult to go quite that far. *LOL* Not to mention I know that I won't stop...
Because even when I make great progress in the Great Edit & Purges of the Past, the Present and Hopefully the Future... the Thrill Of The Hunt, the Love of Old, Collecting and Rescuing Stuff, surrounding myself with Beauty... well, it is such a deeply ingrained part of me that I doubt I'll even change... or want to for that matter, because it's such a Rush, brings me such Pleasure, Contentment and Joy, like nothing else can. Well... in the DOING of it anyway... but the MAINTAINING is a whole other Story! *Winks*
So really the issue is Space... Moderation... and the taking care of a lot... and the desire, at times, to have far less... and be more balanced in my extremes of habit, of thought, Decorating and preferences ... and so I continue to vacillate.
And wonder if I will ever reach the Goal of a more Balanced approach to my Passions and Stuff? To quit going overboard and know when to Stop... before it gets to critical mass where it becomes painfully obvious and then I'm back to yet another Great Edit & Purge. Because to be sure, unlike most of those folks I see on "Hoarders", the big Thrill for me is definitely in the Discovery and Acquisition... and after a while it's almost as Thrilling to pass it on to someone and somewhere else.
And Today Princess T said something that I remember saying at about a similar tender Age... she informed me that she has a "Collection"... and I could see how excited she was about adding to it and how proud of having it, because its obviously something that she's totally digging right now... and I realized that we're probably just wired this way from birth... those of us who are the Collectors of Things?!?
And perhaps even those of us with a tendancy to Excess... in whatever it is that we're currently Passionate about?!?
Because frankly I don't remember being any other way or learning this... it was just an Urge I always seemed to have... nobody encouraged me to Collect, Scavenge, Pick, Salvage... it has just always been something I really, really enjoyed doing... Loved it in fact... I'm my Happiest when devoting Time and Energy to that activity.
And I've noticed that when I've connected with like-minded Souls that there are more people like me than I imagined that there were... "my people"... the ones that get the same Rush and Enjoyment from it... and though some don't seem to be conflicted about the Process, some of us are, in some ways.
Usually when we acquire too much and don't have a place for everything or everything in it's place... or just get to a point of being overwhelmed, for whatever Life Reasons that overwhelmed becomes the feeling we're dealing with... and the Letting Go isn't as painless as we'd Hope it would be, or could be...
And Restraint isn't a Strength... even if we would like it to be... or need it to be...
I've tried Restraint in many areas of my tendencies towards Excess... and frankly, though I can restrain myself for a time, it takes a lot of energy and intention, it is NOT something I do naturally... or well... or long term. *Smiles*
And so my rooms tend to get overdone, like this... that's a lot of stuff on a table... *LOL*
And so, what will happen, every so often I'll clear it all off... and only have one thing on there besides a Tablecloth {and sometimes I do away with the Tablecloth for a time}... but then, it's as if the Stuff can't stay away from Overdecorating Mode!!! *Smiles* And... we'll be back to Square One again after a while... *Le Sigh*
Stuff will start brimming over in Vignettes... or have absolutely no place to be at all and end up in stacks here and there... and everywhere... and when it reaches the point of Clutter... well, that's when I do an Intervention on myself and clear it out again!
Well, with the Exception of Vintage Tablecloths that is... I totally agonize to the point of absurdity about the possibility of Editing and Purging THOSE! It would be like asking me to chose which of the Children to part with! *LOL* I haven't yet fathomed my strong attachment to the Vintage Tablecloth, it's still a Mystery...
And I really need some Tips, some Training and Guidelines from those of you who have found a Method for melding the Instinct to Collect with keeping it manageable on the Homefront?
Or have a Peace about it enough so that you're not at War with Self about the Stuff... and what goes out or comes in?
Because, though I Love it... sometimes I also Hate it too... because it can be a double edged sword... and somewhat of a personal burden at times...
And if you Live long enough... well, you can certainly acquire some Stuff I'm telling you!!! And reach Saturation Points before you know it... and now it's too late, you've got too much and now you're faced with THE QUESTION! *Winks*
Of where to put it... or how long to keep it... now THAT is what becomes a Process in the Collecting and Acquisition of Found Treasures, of Salvaging, Picking and Scavenging and Rescuing great Old Stuff.
Because though I shall ALWAYS Love to DO it... and certainly there is going to be a place in my Heart for each and every Treasure... there will not be a place in my Home for it ALL!?! *LOL* Yep, my Heart can be big enough for all of it, but I've yet to find a place outside of my Heart for all of it! Without it looking a bit like this... *Winks & a huge Sigh*
And there will be some days when I want it all gone... and then other days when I can coexist with it Peacefully and Enjoy it... it's a delicate balance... because I'm conflicted... and vacillate between wanting it around me... and NOT! *LOL*
Days when I wish I had a Genie in a Bottle to solve the dilemma for me... Barbara Eden where are you?!? *Winks*
My Zen is sometimes totally interrupted by the shere magnitude of my success at Collecting great Stuff and having insufficient Space to put it & Enjoy it properly you see... *Smiles*
And I don't have a band of Merry Maids here to help me keep it all maintained pristinely... and I guess that part bothers me most & why I sometimes sway towards Minimalism for the purpose of practicality.
And those of you who Share this proclivity of swaying between Maximalism and Minimalism will certainly understand the internal struggle... and how you never really know for certain which will win out in the end? But, I guess we'll see... in due time...
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... where a Maximalist is attempting to become more of a Minimalist... Dawn... The Bohemian