Surrounding Yourself With Beauty
by Cathy Baker
I don’t remember the last time we went to a garage sale, much less woke up at 6:20 a.m. to get there. But the pictures in the ad caught our eye. Brian, the vintage stereo equipment. Me, the painted blue chair.
Strolling away from the garage sale with the blue chair in tow, Brian asked why I needed another funky chair. My corny words slipped out before I could catch them: Because it makes me smile (as did the price.) Who doesn’t want a pale-robin’s-egg-blue-chalk-painted-vintage chair? Okay, I know at least one person. Moving on.
My journey to a less-cluttered way of living came to a standstill earlier this year due to unexpected surgery with a host of other excuses on its heels. But temps are rising, as are my expectations.
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris
My goal is to release anything and everything that I’ve kept based on guilt (I can’t throw away something _____ gave me), the “one day I might need it” excuse, or because one day I might need that pant size again. Otherwise, how can I make room for beauty?
Maybe I’m not alone. If you’re willing to share, I’d love to know your favorite excuse OR your favorite decluttering tip.
