Give it All Away

posted 25th August 2009    Written by: Kendra    CATEGORY: All Posts, Family, Kendra, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 1

freedomI have been back in New York City for a full week now and once again I’m trying to find a rhythm.

Towards the end of my stay in Montreal I had made peace with my unemployment. I had developed a rhythm, based around hanging with friends (located an easy walk away), searching for jobs, doing some freelance work, and chilling with my roommates. It was a hard won peace and one which I’m struggling to regain here in New York…

What is totally driving me crazy (more than being unemployed, more than my endless commuting) is not having my own space.

My childhood home feels familiar, but not like mine anymore. I haven’t lived here in years and the spaces that were mine were long taken over by other people (hello kid sister) and things, lots of things. My parents are consummate pack rats who haven’t found a nook or cranny that they can’t fill.

I can’t do much with my parents stuff, but I have turned my eye to my own possessions. A lot of “new age” literature suggests that when your life needs a makeover, an excellent place to start is to give things away.

So that’s what I’ve been doing; is giving my stuff away.

I’ve parted with an extra comforter, pillows, a too-big wool coat, a designer leather skirt that never ‘felt’ like me, a variety of nicks and knacks that always required more dusting than I could provide, a beautiful traditional  chi pao dress I’d worn as a bridesmaid for a friend who no longer is a friend. I got rid of the old duffel bag I’d been toting around since undergrad, a reminder of a time and an era best left in the past.  I got rid of plenty of clothing that never fit right, which I promised to have altered but by not doing so were just drains on my mental energy.

The result?

I have a lot less stuff. But it also means I have a lot less stuff to worry about cleaning or otherwise maintaining. And right now, that’s enough to make me feel, if not good, better, freer somehow and more certain that everything is going to be alright.

I’ll take it.

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Comments (2)

2 Responses to “Give it All Away”

  • Diane Pritchard Says:
    August 26th, 2009 at 9:02 am

    GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Giving up stuff is such a great way to unburden yourself and recharge your energy. You inspire me with your efforts and entertain me with your writing. I just wish I had been there to take that leather skirt off your hands!

  • Keep What Really Matters | Stratejoy | Conquer Your Quarterlife Crisis through Fresh Strategies for Real Joy Says:
    January 13th, 2010 at 9:10 am

    [...] was inspired by Kendra’s post in August about giving it all away and made it a goal to downsize my life before the turn of the new [...]

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