Rule# 313: Purge often
When we moved to Florida in 2017 we tried to throw out everything we didn’t use or need. I filled up 2 loads of a 40 yard dumpsters, and thought I was going pretty well- combining it with a massive garage sale.
I didn’t even scratch the surface.
Problem was made more complex by moving into a 7200 sf house that didn’t force me into into hard decisions. I was able to hold on to life’s treasures…that will eventually become the burden of my children to dumping of all this crap when we die.
Fortunately we were able to accumulate a significant amount of valuable art and coins that will make it more like a treasure hunt through The junk, but it will still be yards and yards of useless stuff.
My divorce ( that purged most of my stuff 20yrs ago) and my move to Florida has taken me out of the “horders season 29 “ running, but still we accumulate a lot in this life that is an useful as an old cheese grater.
The real clutter isn’t in the stuff but in the emotional baggage we carry with us. We don’t force change upon our lives because frankly it’s just “too damn hard”. Its too easy to be comfortable, it’s why we keep the old dish towel and broken Halloween decorations. It’s why we accept lives that stop challenging us and changing us.
Florida was scary for me. At 57 I moved away from family and friends into the Jumanji game of snakes, roaches, cane toads and hurricanes. Yea I know it’s a beautiful home on the water- but it’s still is freaking Florida.
But Freaking Florida energized me, forced me to meet new friends and work to keep the old ones. It made me a better and more interesting person- yes I have regrets..but as Frank said they are “ too few to mention”.
Even as I enter my 60’s ( boy there are a lot of people losing money on that bet) I seek to purge my stuff, my emotions and take risks that could not in my 30’s because I was either too poor, too afraid or too focused on my kids. I want my 60’s to have far more challenges and change than my 40’s. I now reluctantly accept that I will one day die, and that gives me the freedom to put it all on black and laugh when it comes up red.. knowing the
True secret that living is so much more important than winning.
Remember the lessons of Stephens “4 spins to glory” experience on the roulette. Even if his all or nothing 4 bets would not have worked out he would have had one hell of a story for the rest of his life. ( trust me the stories last longer than the money)
My good friend Tim is leaving a job that he had the best results in the company, and is leaving not because he was failing, but because the ceiling was a bit higher elsewhere. Yes, he could fail- but just venturing into the great unknown he has given a big middle finger to death and chooses to be different. I admire that, even in the unlikely event he fails He would have won.
I’m not saying to jump out of every plane or to ignore risks- because you will have your families and Retirement to one day enjoy and kids to get through college.
Just fill up the dumpster once in a while and jump without looking every now and then. Its suppose to be scary, scary leads to the best stories.
And you all know how I love my stories..,