It's
usually on the very top shelf of your closet or buried in the basement. It's usually in a cardboard box, sometimes
beaten up and ripped by multiple moves, or sometimes clean and crisp because it
has never been opened. When I come
across this little treasure with a client I usually hear, “Oh I know what this
is...Wow it has been a long time!” Have
you guessed? It is a collection of
childhood, school and special memories known to most of us as personal
memorabilia.
We
often keep these items because they are associated with a special or
significant time in history and our lives.
We have the best of intentions and clients are often reluctant to let
any of these items go. But they are
perfectly content to pack the everything back up to be stashed away, often
times where the box will remain untouched for many more years. This has always perplexed me. How can something be so important to us but not
fit into our lives now? If we are not
going to enjoy it in some manner why are we keeping it?
If
you have things that you simply cannot bear to part with consider making it a
part of your everyday surroundings. This
solves two issues: boxes of items you never use will not be creating clutter
and you can now enjoy the things you consider so dear! Here are a few ideas I have suggested to
people for the various memorabilia I have run into:
Newspapers
from important events – Get them matted and framed for display.
Collections
or heirloom decorations – Display only a few at a time in your house or office
and rotate the items frequently so you can enjoy them without cluttering the
house.
Old
kids clothes/blankets – Have the clothes made into a quilt or blanket that can
be enjoyed now or given as a gift.
Old
toys – Be realistic. Are you ever going
to use it or will your kids use it?
Probably not. Keep only a the
most precious in a safe place, and take pictures of the rest before giving them
away.
Trading
cards – If you choose not to sell or give away the collection put the cards in
an archival album so they can be viewed and enjoyed.
The
bottom line is if you are not going to make room for these types of items in
your life it makes little sense to keep it all hidden away. Why keep something in a box if you cannot
enjoy it?
