The purses have been purged.

And I suppose the Christmas gift bag is apropos – it has been a gift to ourselves to free up more space. After purging (aka de-cluttering) our shoes, we moved on to purses and jewellery. We’ve made two hundred bucks. The photo, above, is of the bags full of bags that we unloaded from our life. So many of the items have been making us laugh. Why are we holding onto this stuff? It’s easier to poke fun at my wife. She’s Jamaican. We both know she’s Jamaican; why does she need 12 different logo emblazoned bags, t-shirts, sandals and picture frames that remind her – she’s Jamaican. And the colours don’t really go with our scheme.

There is a certain fun to deciding, consciously, to get rid of things. It feels like taking control. Bye-bye, Jamaica totes – we’ll totes miss you.

Anything that wasn’t purchased by the consignment shop is going to be put into the clothing swap I’m hosting, then everything not taken – goes to a charity donation drop-off center. I am feeling lighter.

The shelf looks so tidy with the clutches nestled nicely against each other – visible and so much more likely to get used!

I’m holding off on reading the next chapters of Marie Kondo’s book – anticipating that as I head into the basement I will need to bolster myself (for moral and spiritual support) as I attack the symbolic depths of my past – journals from my year abroad in Brazil, musical instruments I no longer play. Sports paraphernalia. Assorted strange and random, useful and useless items.