tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post8344378097546121656..comments2024-03-22T23:27:47.349+00:00Comments on EAGLETON NOTES: One Hundred Things? You're Kidding.Graham Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-72975147341149848412020-07-13T14:56:13.035+01:002020-07-13T14:56:13.035+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14541931315090654012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-34195706463633384662020-03-02T13:13:51.397+00:002020-03-02T13:13:51.397+00:00MLM247, I apologise for the delay in responding to...MLM247, I apologise for the delay in responding to your comment. I've only just seen it. I don't know Mary Lambert's works (indeed until this post's comments I'd never heard of her). I agree that possessions are to some extent a manifestation of one's thoughts but, on the other hand, I'm not sure that I always want to me reminded of some of my thoughts.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-46404903019904860742020-03-02T13:11:01.776+00:002020-03-02T13:11:01.776+00:00Hi Sandra. I apologise for missing your comment. M...Hi Sandra. I apologise for missing your comment. My immediate reaction when reading it just now was '10 remotes ?' Then I decided to look at the remotes in my living room. I only have 4 but they control a total of 11 things. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-76044931342623262902020-02-03T08:11:44.276+00:002020-02-03T08:11:44.276+00:00NEVER declutter. Your possessions are the physical...NEVER declutter. Your possessions are the physical manifestation of your thoughts. That poor unfortunate woman, Mary Lambert, has no thoughts woth keeping. I have and I suspect you have too.MLM247https://www.blogger.com/profile/06365562372896637044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-72127195624774447722020-02-01T10:55:15.146+00:002020-02-01T10:55:15.146+00:00I came over to read your post because Dawn Treader...I came over to read your post because Dawn Treader has the link... I just counted the living room and we have 10 remotes to different devices. counting furniture I have about 50 items in sight, and I am a minimalist. great post, I will think about thisMadSnapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08163140037276496519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-8311730725520373202020-01-29T14:20:37.153+00:002020-01-29T14:20:37.153+00:00Ursula, you are fortunate not to be an "accum...Ursula, you are fortunate not to be an "accumulator". I am (of certain things) although I don't hoard. If it gives me joy then, usually, I keep it. If it serves no purpose then I dispose of it. I've never been into life style gurus either! I might recall which books I've read and I might know what is on the bookcase waiting to be read (but I couldn't guarantee either). I am not a steeplechaser. I rarely take a fence. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-87624591443227937572020-01-29T11:04:05.184+00:002020-01-29T11:04:05.184+00:00As I am not an "accumulator" there is li...As I am not an "accumulator" there is little to declutter. When something dies it's a natural death. Anyway, if you go with Mary Kondo's advice (the latest "life style guru"), we should only have that which brings us joy and get rid of the rest. Which isn't a bad approach. This afternoon I will buy a new iron. It'll bring me joy in as much as my old one has died.<br /><br />Anyway, what's with the counting? One hundred is such an arbitrary number. Why not a thousand or something plucked out of the dust particles of neglected corners? Reminds me of people who proudly advertise how many books they intend to read (Jan), and/or know how many they did read (Dec). Including titles. I find that so embarrassing I cringe on their behalf. I hope you aren't one of them. If you are I apologize. I tend to offend, unintentionally. <br /><br />Hope you are well,<br />U<br />Ursulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722046288685936851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-27078085774217242322020-01-28T09:25:52.583+00:002020-01-28T09:25:52.583+00:00Amy, if you live in a property for long enough bel...Amy, if you live in a property for long enough believe me you can acquire a lot of dross. I shall do another post on the subject because when I lived in New Zealand all my personal possessions fitted into one cupboard. I shall explain.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-9504324517519276002020-01-28T09:20:50.760+00:002020-01-28T09:20:50.760+00:00Diane, moving is always a good opportunity to decl...Diane, moving is always a good opportunity to declutter. I last moved 26 years ago.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-81186783123915957122020-01-28T09:15:43.108+00:002020-01-28T09:15:43.108+00:00Pauline, I think it is a control thing. I've d...Pauline, I think it is a control thing. I've decided that proselytisers in general have a need to control others. The latent lawyer in me would add to your last sentence "so long as it doesn't impinge on anyone else."Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-56538088443784968092020-01-28T08:07:56.637+00:002020-01-28T08:07:56.637+00:00I honestly don't know how you could get that m...I honestly don't know how you could get that many things in a property to be honest, I declutter regularly but there's no way I would have all those items like she does. The biggest things I get rid of are usually clothes and shoes, things I've purchased and have either worn out or things that I've bought and no longer like, amazing how popular the latter choice is.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17076349937962262361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-37996576600012256222020-01-28T07:56:36.149+00:002020-01-28T07:56:36.149+00:00Yep 100 things sounds a bit unrealistic. But decl...Yep 100 things sounds a bit unrealistic. But decluttering is a good idea. We had to do it when we moved. We through out heaps of stuff, sold stuff on Gumtree/ebay and then we still had boxes unopened after a year so they went out too. Still got lots of stuff though.diane bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002292118984909883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-63449511940790943712020-01-27T21:02:46.686+00:002020-01-27T21:02:46.686+00:00I recently had this conversation with my sisters. ...I recently had this conversation with my sisters. One is a minimalist, the other a collector of various things whose home has a warm, homely feel. It's the minimalist who is sure her way is the right way and tries to convince the other to change. Why? I think it's a control thing although why anyone would want control over such a thing is beyond me. In my perfect world everyone would be free to do what makes them happy.Paulinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15276284964859313257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-4244026649084484122020-01-27T18:25:28.495+00:002020-01-27T18:25:28.495+00:00Maywyn, I agree! That's how I'm acting.Maywyn, I agree! That's how I'm acting.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-74315545602397866172020-01-27T18:24:36.862+00:002020-01-27T18:24:36.862+00:00Monica, "Bah humbug" indeed. I know from...Monica, "Bah humbug" indeed. I know from recent friends' bereavements that there is no easy solution when faced with a house full of a life time of 'stuff' even if the house looks clean and tidy and most of it is hidden away in cupboards, lofts etc.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-8085615551473672932020-01-27T18:22:48.051+00:002020-01-27T18:22:48.051+00:00Marcheline, I agree with your first two bullet poi...Marcheline, I agree with your first two bullet points. As for your own situation it makes you happy so it is the correct solution for you. Simple!Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-40569225756325802422020-01-27T04:45:31.077+00:002020-01-27T04:45:31.077+00:00We keep saying that we must sell stuff, but someho...We keep saying that we must sell stuff, but somehow we never do. In fact we acquire even more!Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-26866043266810527012020-01-26T23:41:25.875+00:002020-01-26T23:41:25.875+00:00100 things is unrealistic for many reason. Being o...100 things is unrealistic for many reason. Being organized can make life smoother, and thus happier. All that downsizing babble, I feel, takes advantage of the feeling of accomplishment when the housework is done. People can be fooled into thinking downsizing is more important than it is. Unless a person has way too much, I see no reason to get rid of stuff.Salty Pumpkin Studiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10116105220109225010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-11025801569758954872020-01-26T18:38:50.309+00:002020-01-26T18:38:50.309+00:00It is one of those things where we can only make t...It is one of those things where we can only make the decision ourselves. I dislike this new fad called decluttering and people writing books about it, or at least they are not for me. I reached a point one day where I knew it was right for me, nobody could tell me and I would never tell anybody to do it. It is a point you may reach or may not, but it is a very individual thing and for me it was the right thing to do. I do not live a minimalist life at all as anybody knows from seeing pictures on my blog, but there are certain things that I no longer wished to have so I disposed of them. I enjoyed the post very much and what you said. Thank you. Rachel Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16053924416805878169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-57064113821256442292020-01-26T17:48:12.139+00:002020-01-26T17:48:12.139+00:00I suppose, Marcheline, may I suggest that it's...I suppose, Marcheline, may I suggest that it's whether they are valuable to you that matters. After all, is a Picasso really worth all those millions? At the moment it is. Tomorrow it might not be.Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-32913958267527751152020-01-26T17:28:44.834+00:002020-01-26T17:28:44.834+00:00"Bah humbug", I say! (And why should cro..."Bah humbug", I say! (And why should crockery or bed linen or tools not count? As if one could not have happened to collect too many tea mugs or pillow cases or screwdrivers, just as easily as books or clothes!) As for the 7 months... When my dad had to move to a nursing home a year after mum died, we may not actually have packed much more than 100 things to go with him. But everything was still in his house, so had he asked for something special, we could have brought it. After he died (a year later) it took us three more years to go through everything (and in the end we still had to hire help for the final clearance). With that in mind, I am indeed trying hard now to keep on top of my own situation and not end up in a similar situation. But I see no need to go to extremes. If one day I have to move from my present flat to a smaller one, that's one thing. But to throw out 90% of my possessions already, only to sit in empty rooms with only the TV and laptop really does not seem the best thing just yet (even if I could also keep everything in my kitchen cabinets...) My main principle so far is that when I buy something new, something old has to go; and if a shelf or drawer or cupboard or whatever is too full, then it needs going through! DawnTreaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04533307672147117843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-17168739880227637632020-01-26T16:45:15.192+00:002020-01-26T16:45:15.192+00:00GB, this is a topic that is so multi-faceted it ne...GB, this is a topic that is so multi-faceted it needs bullet points!<br /><br />* People who write books telling other people what they "need" to do are feeding some need of their own to control people. Or to make loads of money by selling an idea that makes people panic to "fit in". I don't subscribe to that nonsense.<br /><br />* People who hoard things until their floors can't be seen and they have to crawl in small spaces from room to room are obviously suffering from a mental or emotional issue, and they need help. Their issues don't relate to the rest of society or create a need for people to throw all their belongings in the tip.<br /><br />* Personally speaking, our small cottage is chock-full of eccentric oddities, antique furniture and accoutrements, the walls are full of framed photos, posters, and artwork, and I wouldn't have it any other way.<br /><br />Do I declutter? Sure, all the time! It's an ongoing process. Boxes and bags that arrive with the mail, etc. I am not going through and throwing out my antiques, though! Every thing has a history to it, a story that is part of my life. I love the wonderful wackiness of our home.<br /> <br />As for books (Bear and I are both avid readers) - we are going through our collections and weeding out ones we really don't cherish. I drop them in the return box at the library, where they can either sell them for money to help the library, or put library cards on them and use them to lend. Books I keep are ones I know I will read over and over (Hamlet, Dangerous Liaisons, Sense & Sensibility, cookbooks, my travel journals and my school yearbooks, etc.)<br /><br />My particular challenges are my vintage kitchenware, and clothing. There is literally no storage space in our house. No spare rooms to use as storage. The attic is a tiny triangle that you can't stand up in. Of course it's full of "stuff", but it's hardly a place we use regularly, due to the fact that accessing it means pulling down a wooden ladder. Not a great place for moving heavy items to/from... we mostly access it for our Yule decorations, our mead brewing gear, and our cat carriers, for trips to the vet.<br /><br />In my experience, people tend to fill up whatever space they have. My mom is a tiny lady who lives in a huge house with an attic that could double as a bowling alley (literally). She also has a barn out back. She's filled both the house and the barn with stuff. I have no doubt that I would do the same, just as I have done with our cottage. You take up the space you have. It just sort of happens that way. And as long as you enjoy your stuff, there's nothing wrong with that.<br />Marchelinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697295230446820295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-80856026850574569312020-01-26T16:43:32.202+00:002020-01-26T16:43:32.202+00:00Mary, that's the only way to be: no remorse!Mary, that's the only way to be: no remorse!Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-41485615527099098572020-01-26T16:34:32.404+00:002020-01-26T16:34:32.404+00:00JayCee, one of the advantages of living alone is t...JayCee, one of the advantages of living alone is that I have no one to please nor ask about anything. I can declutter or clutter to my hearts content. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784891745623390957.post-35332892966252184022020-01-26T16:26:22.140+00:002020-01-26T16:26:22.140+00:00Jules, the word you used that resonates with me is...Jules, the word you used that resonates with me is 'important'. Regular use is a problematic for books and CDs and art. The artwork I have around me is very important to me. Could I live without it? Of course but I'd prefer not to. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.com