To declutter

I came home with a backpack I’d been carrying around for half a year, having survived with only its contents, even lost certain objects on the way. Back home to my old room and a suitcase and boxes and bags full of stuff. Needless to say, I felt pretty overwhelmed by all the clutter awaiting me. I didn’t even remember all the possessions I’d accumulated over time.

To hoard / VERB / Accumulate (money or valued objects) and hide or store away.*

Those of you who know me probably are aware of the fact that I’m a nostalgic person. It’s hard for me to give or throw things away. I think of the memories they invoke or the use they could maybe have one day, someday, in the future. I tend to cling to memories, things, people…

It’s not like I had never cleared up my room before or sorted out my belongings. I’d even gone through them twice before leaving to South America. But after having lived with so little, I realised I still owned too much. And maybe not everything I’d put aside was worth keeping.

To declutter / VERB / Remove unnecessary items from (an untidy or overcrowded place).*

Things that have been lying around for years, gathering dust. Books I’ll never read again. Books I’ve never even opened. Recipes I printed out a decade ago, before the era of Pinterest and online recipe boards. Empty boxes, glass flasks, pretty ribbons. Unfinished projects, sitting in a corner, looking at me with reprehension for abandoning them. Receipts from past travels, the faded ink making it impossible to read them. Old postcards, report cards, agendas. Memories.

Old habits, beliefs, superstitions. Plans I made a long time ago that I will most probably never carry out. What ifs. Obsolete resolutions, promises, dreams. Worries that keep me awake at night.

To let go / VERB / Relinquish one’s grip on someone or something.*

Sort out, give away, make room. Open the windows, let a fresh breeze blow through your hair. Get rid of the dust and cobwebs in your head, the thoughts that suffocate your mind. Pull out the weeds, no matter how deep the roots. Start again with a clean slate.

It’s time to let go.

* (source: lexico.com)