Dharriet I do think you hit the nail on the head " I thought that was brilliant, because the woman was sort of making sense if she could still find someone to teach, it's just that she had lost her ability to find a stopping place." Every time I see something, I want to share it with someone, old or young. But I also saw that what I had needed to be shared and also tossed if there wasn't anyone to share it with; then it became okay to let go of my own treasures even if I struggle at times with it. I had a whole shelf of nature items and other shelves of teaching supplies and books - I thought i could use that one day items. I realized that I was getting older and my children had grown and my physical abilities had changed, that "who I was" needed to change to the present. It was a slow process and I still have a container full of preschool teacher magazines that I am thinking of letting go.(that one hurts to let go - but keeping a special one or two is whats needed - hoarding will only lead to frustration and staying stuck in the past for me. I still have the "I can use this one day" but there is so much that I could never read all that information. I have to remember I still get the magazine every two months and I can go on their online site if there is something I could learn from or grab again. ( I think I just talked myself out of these items
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I have kept girl scout things (very minimal) because I love to learn and love to share what I learn Same with craft items, I kept thinking my crafts items were still good; but then I went to the Girl Scout cabin and saw the "so called craft items" were so outdated being donated from other crafters over 40 years ago at least. These items should have been tossed over time to make use for the new but being crafters and wanting to teach as well, the scout leaders over the years could not part with these items and couldn't add any other donations. What was supposed to be for use to other leaders became storage rather than a help.
dharriet I "love" your dmom's treasure of the leaf that she had displayed. I think where this lovely woman at the donation place and I in the past (and even now at times) forget to have 1 special item and display it with honor rather than having a million things I couldn't possibly display or be useful.
I never saw the hoarders episodes butI think it's sad that the woman couldn't keep the one rock if she parted with everything else. I could see clearing all the collection but letting her keep the one rock would be okay to me. I do think the family because of the lack of sense to a situation becomes desperate - they see her choosing that one rock over them (their pain), rather than seeing she is living in a past moment and it may be her way of keeping part of that happiness. The trouble happens as with hoarders (light and heavy hoarders) become attached to all their items rather than 1 or 2 and then they loose sight of their families.
Seeing this woman helped me see I need to continue my work and live in the moment today. It's a good thing. (I love when I learn something
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delly I love that you used the shells in the garden! great on donation place picking up the wall units.
dharmony it's nice that you can display the shells in the vase!
I think I am still processing who I am at this moment and because I am out of shape right now (went backward) I am a little afraid to try things. (so not like me - so I need to regroup)