Pack Rats Need A 12 Step Program

Amy and I drove to Gastonia, NC on Friday to help my mom pack everything she owns in order to move to Georgia. When I say everything she owns, I mean everything. The Paul Mitchell plastic makeup bag that she got 8 years ago and has never used and will never use. The identical one from Este Lauder that she never used and will probably never use. We packed her five old ass ugly folding lounge chairs made of plastic strips that she never used. I take that back. She used one every few years for herself when she sun bathed at pools that don't have chairs or resorts that don't have them either. We packed throw pillows I've never seen in my life that were circa 1968. They didn't match anything we ever owned growing up and didn't match anything she owns now. But, she wanted them along with alllll her other throw pillows.
She wanted her broken 4yr. old grill....."because it's the only one she has". We packed more candles than Yankee Candle has. I should have told her Georgia has electricity now. We packed chairs that exceeded the number of people she knows. Some were for little little kids, which we have none of in our family. Lots were broken. Some would slash your ass open from all the shredded paint. We packed curtains I think she bought from Nellie Olsons mom on Little House On The Prairie. She had a couple of lamps from there too.

Now I know she's leaving a home that held many great memories, but she's still got the memories. She doesn't have to have the flea market crap too. Anything that is of real monetary value makes sense. Anything that is not of any real monetary value but holds very dear sentimental value and can be used practically could be kept. Other non vauables that hold sentimental value and can be genuinely displayed are fair game too. But, multiple wicker bathroom size waste baskets need to go to the Salvation Army. She doesn't see her problem as a problem. She sees other people compulsiveness as a problem, but rationalizes hers.Well, we packed it ALL. Mix matched, out dated, out of style, broken, faded, new and all. It's safely packed away in a 12' by 20' climate controlled storage unit until she decideds where she's going to live.

I'm the oldest of three sons and probably the least sentimental of the three. Therefore, I accept that I may be hammering the issue a bit too hard. However, when I see crap that could be transformed to cash, I ask myself this. If I had the cash, would I spend it to buy the crap now. If the answer is no, then it needs to be sold, because effectively that's what's happening. Everyday you keep crap, your choosing to buy it instead of getting the cash and doing something better with it. No, no, no. It's not all about money. There are other factors. Storage space for the crap. Clutter the house or rent a storage building? Style. Do you want your home to look like a flea market booth or have a nice sense of some sort of style that defines you? Psychological. You need to mentally and emotionally let go of things. Only then can you be open and have the time and space for new things. Space, emotions and time are all limited. You can't hold on to 100% of the past unless you want 0% of a future.

I really think people like my mom need a program to help them let go of stuff. I know there's the show Clean Sweep and I'd love to have them help her, but for regular everyday pack rats, there should be a 12 step program, like Alconon or Jenny Craig. She could have a sponsor that she had to call if she wanted to buy something new. She'd have to purge one thing she already onws first. She'd have to have an inventory of all her stuff and be able to tell you where everything is. She'd have to be able to put her hands on anything within three minutes. Maybe I should hire her a professional organizer. They could help clear the clutter, because Lord knows, her boys can't.