To keep or not to keep ... that is the question!

I used to know women who thoroughly cleaned out all their drawers and cupboards regularly every spring. Honest! Do people still do that, spring clean, I mean, do they go through everything every spring and throw old stuff away?

When I was a young mum at home looking after my three little children, my next door neighbour had an amazing cleaning routine. (She didn't attest to my 'routine' of clean thoroughly only when you're having visitors, and in between, if things get really bad - leave and take the kids to the park - come back only when it's dark and you can't see the dust!) No, my neighbour cleaned different parts of her home every day - living room on Monday, kitchen and floors on Tuesday etc. and she stuck to it religiously!! She was amazing, I thought she was the best housewife ever, and I envied her with every ounce of my being!! Company could call on her any day or time of the week, her house was spotless and she even had frozen meals (cooked on Fridays) in her freezer to feed surprise guests - even dessert!!!

I tried, I really did. I wrote out my own cleaning schedule, posted it boldly on my fridge, and started to follow it. But, after a couple of days, it might be a sunny day and the children were restless so I'd skip the windows that day and head outside with them instead! Or, a friend would phone to invite me over for coffee, and off I'd go again. Sure, I could have said "No, I have to change the bed linen today," ... as my organized neighbour often did when I invited her over ... but, I guess I just didn't have her willpower.

Anyway, that is a very long round-about way for me to say that I am at present spring cleaning my drawers and cupboards - no applause please - and that over the years my cleaning mentality has unfortunately never changed. We have just 6 weeks to get this place extra spic and span, clutter-free, and ready for showing prospective buyers. Buyers who will have no reluctance at opening drawers or cupboards! So, I am sorting through 8 years of 'stuff'... stuff that I've either hidden in closets to make the place look tidier when people came, (then forgotten it,) or stuff that I've put into drawers because I can't decide what else to do with it!!

Which brings me to the whole point of this blog ... how much 'stuff' should one keep??? I know, we've been down this path before, a few weeks ago when I wrote about hoarding and the perils of Syllogomania. But, this is different. I've just spent an hour going through a drawer containing cards my offspring gave me when they were young. My 'throw-away' pile was extremely small - how can you throw away this stuff??? I look at the crayon drawings of stick figures, flowers (plus the always present sun), and the carefully printed words "I love you Mum". Who can throw this stuff away??? The cute letters to Santa when they were young, then the cheeky funny ones when they were older. The funny birthday cards from when they were teenagers, now the mushy ones as they become parents themselves and realize what hard work it is! Yes, that drawer is still full.

The other day I had to clear out a drawer containing cards, notes, photographs from my years in the classroom. It took a long time to go through that drawer, as I read the notes I saw again in my mind the particular student who wrote it. The class pictures with everyone wearing their bests clothes, hair pasted down and smiling as though they actually enjoyed school. That was a huge part of my life - do I throw these out???

My mother was visiting when I was sorting through the school stuff, and as she passed my door I said, "Look at all this, so many wonderful memories." She just said it's all in the past, all gone, throw it all out.

HOW??? I look at this stuff and it makes me feel good ...

Well, I've decided I'm going to find myself a large, (very large) wooden storage chest, label it 'Keepsakes' and fill it to the brim with all this stuff. Then, next winter when the winds are howling, and the snow is piled up at the door, I'll open it and spend a fabulous afternoon tripping down Memory Lane.

I had better not tell Ray though, because he still has to clean out the garage - and HIS stuff can definitely all be thrown away!!! :-)

Bye for now - hurrah, it's March at last!