Magnetic Dart Board

Day 180: Magnetic Dart Board

I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel now. I went down to the coat rack, thinking there would be an armful of coats we never wear. Turns out we use them all, except possibly a magenta Lands End pea coat that Emma Jane did not take with her to college. (Note to self: ask Emma if she would like me to send pink pea coat.) Then I peeked in the red closet, where we keep our suitcases and camping gear, and saw a lot of suitcases and camping gear that we use, and none that we don't. 

I though to myself: maybe today is the day. The day I have nothing more to get rid of. 

I'm not saying our house is like Walden Pond. We've still got stuff. Lots of stuff. But almost everything we have either brings pleasure or has an active use. 

Although the story might be less interesting, I have almost decided that I won't be getting rid of stuff I use or enjoy. The idea of the simple life - such as Jeff described yesterday - has great appeal. But that's not the life I'm living now. The life I'm living gets value out of sets of dishes, a dozen pairs of shoes (or two), games to play, projects to finish and books to read. If I start getting rid of stuff just to get to the top of the mountain, then I'll have less stuff and a long shopping list. And a long shopping list is the antithesis of the environmental good I value. 

The day isn't today. I remembered a couple more things I've identified that we aren't using. The person who's used this magnetic dart board the most is Roxanne, my sparkly dancing five-year-old niece, and there's no reason for her not to have it. We aren't using it, and it was a gift from my parents - Roxanne's grandparents - anyway. 

There's still the studio. The potting shed. The garage. I might eke out a few things there. 

But the countdown begins. Just a few days shy of the halfway point.