I’ve start to see all of my possessions in a new light lately.  Not too long ago I saw all my cross stitch and knitting supplies (my giant stash) as representing potential. Now I see it all as demands, as things that I must do. And the amount of those things is just overwhelming. I was so happy to realize that my little guy couldn’t wear acrylic sweaters thanks to his eczema. That means I can return one sweater’s worth of yarn and give two other sweater’s worth of yarn to a friend who is a charity knitter.

Something is wrong when getting rid of yarn makes me happy.

On the other hand, I recently bought a whole bunch of DMC floss so that I would have a full set. This acquisition made me happy. Strange, no? I suspect it is because floss skeins are so much smaller than yarn skeins, so they can disappear into my stash and I can forget about them. (There is also the added benefit of being able to start projects without having to go out and buy floss.)

I think that is a big clue to how my feelings about acquiring things works. If the new things just disappear into the background (floss, books, magazines, household items, clothing), I don’t feel so bad. But if the items really stand out (books [yes, in two places], shoes, yarn, electronics), then I do feel bad. Goodness knows I don’t need more of anything, and both types of purchases increase my amount of stuff. However, one type of purchase lets me fool myself, and that is ultimately a bad thing.

I need to learn to think more clearly about my purchases; about what I need and what I want. It isn’t so bad to wait to have a desire or a craving fulfilled. And it wouldn’t be so bad to free up some storage space. Imagine: an empty shelf on the closet that I don’t need to store anything on.