Change?

The most difficult thing about cleaning up the house is, knowing what to keep. The number one problem that makes my home a storage box is hoarding. I have a hoarding habit which I am not proud of but it runs in the family.

When I was a little bit younger, I didn't had a lot of stuff. Crazy enough we had a lot of stuff in storage. Things we didn't use or whatever. There was just stuff useless stuff in the closet under the staircase. I have learned that it's a waste to trow things away. Guess, I didn't learn what donation was.

It wasn't until we moved to a smaller house that I really looked into what I own. A lot of paper graded, new or used. There was just so much stuff. When we moved I already threw out a lot of stuff. Most of it was pre-high school stuff. Dolls and toys went to donation.

But I did find good excuses to keep the stuff that I had. Like, I am going to use it later for that or that is what I need for something. Just a lot of excuses. What I basically do right now is to eliminate stuff when we buy or bring something new in the house.

Yesterday, my mother bought a garden scissors for cutting wood and twigs in her makeshift garden. When we're at home she basically threw the old one out. The funny thing was that she asked me if she could throw it in the bin. At the moment I was kinda shocked, why the hell did she asked me. It's her own scissors, I never use it. The reason is simple, she wanted to know if I could recycle it in a special bin like batteries and lamp bulbs. For those who didn't know, at the waste facility they use a strong magnet to fish the metal out that they can use for recycle.

It's strange that my mom's generation doesn't knows that. I try to apply logical thinking in those situation. Like with what can a waste facility make money off. Recycling old metal is a huge business for them. To me it's so normal, it goes without saying.

At my place there is a bit of change in mindset. Like I really wanna have new cups but unless the ones we have aren't ready for the trash I am not aloud to buy new ones. Crazy isn't it, my own rules works against me.

Even though the change is small, it's still a step forward. Being aware that we can recycle is important. Knowing that we can do and actually do something to help our environment is crucial in the life of this minimalist.