Day 25

Well, one of the pairs of sunglasses listed will sell by the end of today. As I said on a previous day, it's not so hard being able to give things up. The hard part seems to be getting rid of them. I'm fine with giving away a lot of it, but I do battle with not being able to get some money back for spending so much on some of the more expensive items ive chosen to part with. It's a battle of "well, if I can't get some money back for it, I might as well keep it and use it". This battle is no easy one, but I'm working on it.
Yesterday with the house being sick I didn't list anything material. I saw another point to this and wanted to add on today. There are some things you can recycle or "up cycle" within the home. I've been collecting onion bags... you know, the mesh ones, to use for better drying my herbs. They work pretty well with most. My Patchouli plants are the only ones not liking that drying technique. Small uses of recycling onion bags, sauce jars, etc come in handy around the house, but when they start to pile up, you have to notice your recycling ideas, although with good intention, are not working for a clutter problem or for necessity. Too many times I have seen recyclers become recycling hoarders. This isn't recycling.
On another note, I have come across another want vs need demon to battle. Items from lost loved ones going to waste.  These are tough. It's one thing to keep family heirlooms and sentiments but when you've lost a ton of people, stuff starts to collect and suddenly becomes prized as a possession. I have so many items from my grandmother. For example,  her tailoring dress form (the family has always called her "Susie") is from the early 1930s, still bears my grandmother's pencil lines and will never leave my home or family. You could offer me millions. The answer would be no. However,  her burnt, ripped, barely useable heart shaped pot holder I can't throw out. Why?  She'd be the first one telling me to chuck it. I can't.  Ive grew up in the kitchen with my grandma,  as every italian female did. This burnt and worn potholder has no use other than to tie me to my grandma. I have Susie. I have so many other things from her. Why can't I part with the damned pot holder? It's silly objects like that I have to take time and creatively think, as she did, being a master seamstress,  how to either re create the worn pot holder into something useful and upcycle or "get rid of it", as she'd say. Today I am going to spend some time thinking about a damned pot holder and if I can't upcycle it, I am going to part with it. The memories of my grandmother are recorded in her dress work in my closets and susie, and being the greatest grandmother in photos, memories, and my heart. Not a potholder I probably grabbed at a Santa shop in grade school for one dollar. I've lost so many friends and family in my 32 years, a lot of my "stuff" is theirs, or things they gave to me. A dear friend of mine loved purple so much, I have a beautiful lace hippie purple skirt and a short one strap glitzy purple dress hanging in my closet storage, never worn. Out of all the other stuff I have of his, and all the clothing donations, these two purple things I will probably never wear, still hang in my closet because of him. I wish there was someone else that knew him that would appreciate these, but 10 years out of date and age over a decade, its hard to find them, in my mind, an acceptable home. He'd laugh at me too.
So... todays blog is a battle of me vs a potholder and a one strap purple dress. I think I'll wear the skirt the next time I hang out with a friend that also knew him well, at least once, take a picture, and maybe then let it go.
Let the battle begin.

This is for all my lost loved ones and friends. Nothing can replace you.