Do you have tinfoil in your head?
When I was growing up, we used to keep and reuse tin foil. You see, my parents lived during the Great Depression when certain things like tinfoil were scarce, so they learned to be thrifty and reuse items. Then along came the Second World War when things continued to be in short supply. So they also learned to store things for future use because times were uncertain.
By the time I was growing up, the Depression was over, the war was done and tin foil was no longer scarce. But my parents’ mindset remained. Hold on to stuff because you might need it one day. Stock up when you have the chance. The circumstances had changed but the way they looked at life didn’t.
I’ve been thinking about this whole idea of keeping stuff as I continue to purge my own clutter. Recently I emptied my linen closet. It was a like pulling the cord on an inflatable raft. I could not believe how much stuff was stuffed into that space. Seeing it all piled on the floor prompted me to ask myself some truth-telling questions:
How many spare sets of sheets, pillowcases, pillows and blankets does one actually need?
How many of these items have not seen the light of day in a long time?
How many were things that I was holding onto just in case some undetermined event happened that required their use?
By the time I was done sorting and keeping only the items that I truly needed and used, I had five large bags to donate to someone who might actually need them today not at some nebulous date in the future. It seems like I still had the old tinfoil mentally stuck in my head.
Here’s the tidbit of wisdom that exists in the midst of our clutter:
We can live our lives in one of two ways.
If we live with a scarcity mindset we tend to hold on to things just in case. We collect stuff. We worry about the future. Enough just doesn’t seem to be enough. Fear becomes our primary motivator.
Or we can live with a spirit of abundance. That means that we are confident that we have enough. We are clear about the difference between wants and needs. We have gratitude for what we have. We aren’t trying to fill up a space in ours heart with stuff from Walmart. Trust becomes our guide.
Don’t get me wrong. Reusing or recycling stuff is a great idea. Being thrifty means you have your priorities straight. But unless your circumstances dictate it, stockpiling stuff is more about being afraid that you don’t have enough, or worse yet, don’t feel that you are enough, than it is about being practical.
Clutter is often a sign of a scarcity mindset. When you brought that stuff into your house, you were thinking you didn’t have enough of something – clothes, books, toys, ideas, love, attention. I bet that you don’t need any more material stuff. I bet you have more than enough. And I know for sure that all the stuff in the world won’t fill up your heart. Get rid of some of the stuff and you make more space for what you really want.
My linen closet is a thing of beauty now. When I open the door I can almost hear it whispering, “It’s all good.” No clutter. No tinfoil.
