June 1, 2023
by DSD
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While watching a Taiwanese programme, I learnt the Chinese term for “decluttering” – 斷捨離. What I found interesting was that the Chinese term encapsulates a lot more than just throwing stuff away. The three characters are a shortened form of: 斷絕不需要的東西,捨棄多餘的廢物,脫離對物品的執著。
That translates to “Doing away with things you don’t need, throwing out extraneous things, and cutting one’s attachments to things.”
That captures so much more than just “decluttering” which only suggests the throwing away of stuff as opposed to one where, apart from a physical cleansing of space, there is a spiritual element of simplifying one’s thoughts and letting go of the past.
Five days before I sustained my injury, A and I moved to a new place. Thankfully we did so as I wouldn’t have been able to manage a move in my current condition. As we didn’t have too many things, most of the unpacking was completed on the weekend we moved.
With every move comes an opportunity to declutter. I’ve moved four times in the past six years and it still surprises me that I have things I can get rid off when I don’t consider myself a hoarder. Even before this move, I had started clearing out stuff I had left in Singapore throughout the various trips I made home over the years. However, the trip back in June 2022 saw me deciding to be really brutal and unsentimental with trinkets, photos, and letters from people I don’t keep in touch with anymore. I was looking through some of the photos from yesteryear and for the life of me, couldn’t remember the names of those people whom I had crossed paths with eons ago. Letters from people who no longer matter to me were also thrown out. I took pictures of childhood toys and then in the trash they went.
The closest things to me that I got rid of were the diaries that I had kept since I was 13. I had one for almost every year till I was in my early 30s. Those were writings I wouldn’t want anyone else to see and when I flicked through them, I cringed at my own musings when I was younger. I guess that shows I’ve matured. Many of the writings were just of everyday events like I went to the library or to visit some relative or went for a meal at a restaurant with my family. Anyways, I decided to get rid of all of them as they have served their therapeutic purpose of being an outlet for my emotions at that point in time. They weren’t things I really wanted to revisit and so after giving every one a look-through, I threw them down the chute. At some point in the garbage removal process, they will end up in an incinerator. I’ve always thought I’d burn them in a bonfire – I guess that can count as it.
During my move in January, I donated clothes that I had had for awhile but never used in recent years. There was a Sportsgirl dress that I had owned since I was 20. Though I can still fit into it (hurray!) and it’s still in good condition, my 40+ year old self doesn’t suit the style of it anymore so I decided to part with it. If A and I had fewer outdoor hobbies, we would have less stuff. A lot of the things we own are safety-critical gear we need when we go outdoor rock climbing, abseiling and canyoning – dynamic and static ropes, harnesses, carabiners, quickdraws, slings, climbing shoes, canyoning boots, backpacks, rope bags, tents, sleeping bags etc. But when it comes to other stuff, we are conscious about keeping these to a minimum. Although I do admit I have a weakness for potted plants and ceramic crockery!
In any case, it was an opportunity for us to declutter and we’ve managed to rid of our lives of some baggage. And that always feels good!
Now we just have to remain mindful of keeping things to a minimum and not buying stuff unnecessarily.
