The point to clutter

When I was a kid, I was given a hand-me-down denim mini skirt. About 2 years later, the giver asked for it back. By then it was long gone; my mother would send the clothes my sister and I outgrew to her cousin in Texas who was a single mom to two girls, younger than my sister and I. This incident left an Indelible mark on me. When I am decluttering my house, I have a tendency to ask the giver if they want the item back, even if it wasn’t given as a loan. The problem is that I am passing back my clutter to someone to be clutter for him/her. What’s this about?! Now in cases of family heirlooms or sentimental items, it is best to ask and make sure no one else in the family wants it. For everything else, just skip it. The purpose of decluttering is to rid our lives of items that are taking up physical and mental space. The beautiful vase that belonged to my grandmother reminds me of her every time I look at it. However, I have never used it. I have other items of hers that are also reminders like her Pucci dresses, fur coat, a serving platter from her everyday dish set, etc. that I wear or use. So out goes the vase along with bowls, blankets, and other items that were handed down to me with no expectation of return. If you want it back, then make the hand-me-down a loan. I always put a post-it in books that say “Return to Mali.” This way I stand more of a chance of getting it back (plus the recipient doesn’t have to remember who gave it to them, especially if it is months before they start reading it).