Those empty spaces don't last long
- Laura Moore: Housebroken
- November 15, 2022
- 405
Too many of us tend to keep things we no longer need or use. Our houses have to deal with that unfortunate tendency. If we could give away the good stuff we no longer need or use, throw away junk and store only things we still need or use, our houses would be so much happier.
It’s a known fact even the best of us tend to acquire more things than we need. It’s just so easy to do that. Our houses even encourage that because no house wants empty spaces inside her. It happens so innocuously we are seldom even aware it’s happening.
For instance, we are given gifts for birthdays, Christmas and other occasions. They're lovely. We thank the giver, and having absolutely no present use or need for the gift, our storage space gets to hold it until possible future use. Hobbies also contribute to over-full storage spaces. Because our interests tend to be intense until they aren’t, the leftovers of that interest are saved in storage just in case that interest returns. It seldom does.
The problem with our house’s lack of storage came to a head when we couldn’t find space for a lovely new gift. Taller Half and I were forced to confront our house’s need to have the overstuffed cabinets, drawers and closets sorted out.
We began with closets, and that proved to be a true challenge. We found things stored there we had long forgotten existed. There were a couple of ancient sweatshirts, an album of family photos, a pile of books, door wreaths unused for years, several unattractive lamp shades, two pairs of worn-out boots and a box full of mementos from a trip taken long ago. Once the closet junk was thrown out, there was enough space to house our new gift, plus a bit more space for future storage needs. Sadly, that empty space didn’t last but a few minutes. Taller Half filled it with a box of “stuff” he might need at some future date.
I suspect the lack of storage in our poor house will get no better. We have excellent intentions but extremely poor reactions. We get attached to things, save them, store them and then forget we have them. When all is said and done, our children will have to deal with our messes when we are gone. Bless them. Just hope they don’t take after their parents.