Shoe Rack

Day 153: Shoe Rack

You can see a couple of
pairs of left-behind high
heeled shoes on the floor
behind the rack. I ended up
just arranging them on
the closet floor. The
old-fashioned method, no
furniture required

This shoe rack has been in Emma's closet for several years. Over time, it became a repository for those few shoes that she never wore. The problem with it is that the front bar is lower than the back bar, probably so that the shoes can be elegantly displayed for ease of selection. This means that, unless the shoe has at least a two-inch heel, they generally just slide right off. And another problem: it's a rickety rack. It wobbles and shimmies and generally behaves as though it's a Victorian hot house flower on the verge of collapse. I don't even know where it came from.

Emma took about half of her shoes with her to college, and wisely left about half behind. Many of the "home shoes" do in fact have two-inch heels (or higher), and once again I agonize - at least for a minute - over whether to keep or get rid of this object. And once again, the Minimalists' criteria - does it give joy? is it useful? - came in handy. No doubt, this thing does not give joy. Quite the opposite: it's irritating. Is it useful? Based on the number of shoes that have slid onto the floor, I had to give it a "No."

I've been thinking about how often this inner struggle over the decision to get rid of something takes place. I have resolved to get rid of one thing a day for a full year, and because of this, I'm more inclined to get rid of the things I'm torn about. This is more efficient, I reason, because in another 100 days, all these things I'm torn about are going to be back on the chopping block. Might as well not have to think about them again.

Another thing I've noticed: how much I like to obtain things. Especially bargains and free stuff. And much of the stuff I've gotten rid of was a bargain. Or free. So I'm trying to be a little more conscious of taking home those bargains only if I'd be willing to pay full price.

With five months under my belt, it's interesting to note that I haven't missed one single object that I've gotten ridden of.

Except my bee stuff.

And Emma Jane.