What makes a person hold on to something for an indefinite period of time? Each day I meet people that hold on to items that they would otherwise discard, but if it were not for the thought that it once belonged to someone close to them that has since passed away. It’s a difficult decision to part with something that was either personally given to you or passed down to you. I know this all too well.
Now, I won’t advocate that you sell something or throw something away, but I will encourage you to ask yourself a question: What really makes this item valuable to you? Let’s get philosophical; we are all born to die. As each day passes we get closer to the day that will not come. What we do with the time each of us is given will live on well past that day; for better or worse. Material items are not permitted to come with us and if you allow me to get completely morbid about it, even if we each chose to have items buried or burned with us, there’s only so much of that that can be included.
Downsizing and eliminating the non-essentials has been the most liberating thing that I have ever done. I have children, so of course I asked them if there were items that they wanted. I was actually surprised by their answers; no. You see we all collect things for many reasons and sometimes for no reason at all which is also a reason. We hold on to papers, receipts, clothing and of course, jewelry. So when you’re considering the answer to my question, think about the burden that it will leave upon your survivors. It will then become their job to sort through the collection while dealing with the emotional and physical loss of you.
None of us know when our last day here will be, but wouldn’t it be a nice thing for your survivors to not have to sort through the things that for whatever reason, you have amassed throughout your life. Why not declutter and consolidate your belongings? Ask yourself this: Will I ever wear or use this? Do my heirs want these things? Is it in good repair? When was the last time I looked at this much less worn it? Do I really need this and what for? When you know the answers to these questions, then you will know what to do with the things the occupy space in your life.
One word of caution, many people assume that gaudy looking jewelry is just costume and fake. That is most certainly not always the case. When you are going through your items and items that you’ve inherited, bring them to me so I can test them for you. Let me see if they have value detached from anything sentimental. You can find me at 24910 Kuykendahl Rd., Tomball, TX 77375, Monday through Saturday 10 am to 7 pm. I help people just like you determine the value of their items before they throw them away. If you have a quick question you can leave me a comment or give me a call at 832-943-7300.
Gina Olson 