How to Be Grateful, Generous, and Ready for Something New

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"It was fun... and now it's done."


This quote from an anonymous Girl Scout leader, shared in a comment on Joshua Becker's blog, Becoming Minimalist, caught my attention a while ago.


pretty fish in a tank



We all struggle with this.


How do you declutter tools and supplies for a hobby that once meant a great deal to you?  You haven't touched the hobby in a year or two (or more), and you don't see yourself keeping fish, making jewelry, skiing, or backpacking again.  But those items represent many absorbing and happy hours, and were once a part of your identity.


Besides, maybe at some point you'll want to pick up the hobby again.

Related article:  Just in Case: Is It Good Sense or a Stumbling Block


You used to be known for your beautiful handmade cards, and you have a collection of rubber stamps, embossing tools, special scissors, beautiful papers, and more.  How can you just get rid of that considerable investment of money and creativity?


"It was fun... and now it's done."


You enjoyed that creative outlet, and now you have a choice.  You can let the accouterments sit in a closet, fill up a drawer, or crowd your garage, or donate them to a school or the Goodwill so that someone else can use and get pleasure from them.  Which will you choose?





Are you a dog in the manger?  


This ancient Greek metaphor refers to a person who selfishly keeps something that he or she doesn't need or want so that others can't use or enjoy it.  That's you, if you keep storing something that could be valuable to someone else simply because it once meant something to you.


Do you like that image?  Is that who you want to be?


I bet it isn't.


Now is the time to donate or sell your unused hobby supplies and sports equipment.  Invest your time and money in what interests you today, and let these things from the past go.  If at some unknown point in the future you want to pick up the activity again, buy used items that other people have decluttered.





"It was fun... and now it's done."


Use this mantra to help you.  In fact, these words might make it possible to let go of many things from your past – trophies, ribbons, school projects (yours and/or your kids'), collections, and more.  Take a picture if it helps to remember the fun.


Be grateful, be generous, and look to the future.




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Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 21, 2022 at 10:08 AM

    "It was fun... and now it's done."

    Great advice that I'm trying to apply to retirement. I look back wistfully at my years in another city, another house, another job. I'd like to get to the point of recognizing that it was fun, but now it's done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen TrefzgerOctober 22, 2022 at 10:17 PM

      There's certainly nothing wrong with taking time to reminisce about happy times. Change is hard for everyone, and we all need at least a little time to process it. Keep looking forward to happy times ahead!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousOctober 21, 2022 at 11:38 AM

    One of the best I have read!! This spoke deeply to me. Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete

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