Okay. So I said I'll share some things from my new job. And here it is.
When I first move in, the school where I work was in a mess. Not as messy as this:
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| Source: digitalbloggers.com |
but...close. Seriously, the desk where I was supposed to work was filled with things which normal people wouldn't use, or can no longer be used, whic are also known as junk.
As I dug deeper into shelves, cabinets and cupboards, I found more of them. I was completely amazed. There were letters and proposals and all sort of paperworks (taxes, financial reports, you-name-it-we-got-it) from as far back as 1996. In fact, I even found a box full of wedding souvenirs (what the....?). And then there were flyers and posters and concert booklets from events years ago, by individuals and groups who have ceased to exist. And to this day, I still sort out music sheets from the school's previous events. I'm not against archiving in any case. But if you need to keep music sheets for future reference, wouldn't it be good to keep just ONE copy instead of TWENTY? Historical evidence proved that even that one friggin' copy was becoming obsolete.
So I gave them away. The school janitor did her magic and made them disappear (I think she sold them to some recycling groups or something) and I'm so happy.
These days people tend to acquire and keep and don't let go. My sejour in Berlin taught me how frugal the Germans are, and I admire that about them. They don't buy things they don't need, and they don't throw away things unless they are broken. Their life is so simple and they don't waste things.
Decluttering has so many positive sides. People wrote about that on the internet because it's really something everyone should do in their life regularly. I won't elaborate on that, as you can all browse and find out for yourself, but for those who find decluttering difficult, it's actually very basic. Some things in life have to go to make room for the new ones. Imagine if not one single person or animal dies in this world. The earth will sink because all these living things, with their fluids and fats, are there the whole time. Decluttering is the most natural thing to do. Some of us have unlearned it. But once we re-learn how to do it, it will be as normal as breathing in and out.
