I’m going through the purge of a lifetime. I’m opening every box, looking through every drawer, every cabinet and on every shelf. I am agonizing over every single thing and Konmari-ing it. Do I love it? Does it spark joy? Okay, it gets bubble wrapped.
So, even though I’m working hard on letting things go, I’ve been going through countless rolls of bubble wrap.
What if it’s something like a corkscrew – something that sparks joy, but that I’ll obviously need between now and September (or whenever the shipping crate actually arrives in Denmark)? What if I used to love it, but then forgot about it and now I rediscovered it? Or maybe I don’t even remember getting it at all, but it’s something so cool I would gladly buy it again? Those are some tricky scenarios. I wish things like bottles of ink, champagne glasses, the torn up sweater I got in Spain 16 years ago, Aboriginal Australian rock art and Ukrainian Easter eggs didn’t spark so much joy…
Not familiar with the Konmari method? It is basically a decluttering system developed by Marie Kondo, a Japanese minimalist, who always seems to wear something off-white. She’s the poster perfect image of someone who’s so in zen, she has no earthly attachments to stuff. Just a couple of beige sweaters and a closet of cream-colored plain dresses. I bet Marie Kondo doesn’t feel the need to save old Xmas cards.
I am doing my best to “love” my stuff less and “thanks for your service” more. That’s what you’re suppose to do with that second and third stapler. You’re suppose to thank it for being there for you (even if it did a crappy job stapling things) and let it go. But sometimes I have a hard time letting it go! I didn’t think I was nostalgic (except maybe for journals and photographs), but now I’m finding I have a hard time letting go of the plates I got at Cost Plus. Okay, you know what? There is only so much purging I can do. The plates are coming with us, because I looooove them.
This brings me to the environmental crisis I am now facing: bubble wrap. I’ve been going through a lot of bubble wrap. Me, yes me and all you people addicted to bubble wrap (aka Amazon Prime) – we are responsible for all the wars fought in the Middle East since the discovery of oil.
Yes, the bubble wrap is making me feel guilty. I googled “what to do with used bubble wrap” and one of the answers – of course – was: destress. You know, like grab a sheet and start popping it while watching Game of Thrones. That’s a lot of destressing! (Someone also suggested some arts and crafts projects, but I don’t do arts and crafts.)
As for recycling it? Bubble wrap, like plastic bags, does not recycle well. There are very few recycling facilities that can do it. But will they recycle it in Denmark?
Am I getting ahead of myself and being a little bit irrational? I mean, I have countless other things to worry about right this very minute. Maybe it’s not the best idea to think ahead to four to five months from now when our stuff arrives. Wrapped in bubble wrap.
Post-Amerikan 