I’ve been going through my closets and looking at the pile of things I have accumulated over the past year. Someone gave me a baby doll to give to my granddaughter but she’s into goats and sheep and horses. No dolls in her bed (thank you very much.)

In another room, on another shelf is a package of Leggos and some action figures still in their original boxes. I also have some Christmas tea towels, soaps and lotions.

These items were bought ‘just in case’ however, now I have a surplus of items that need to be regifted, rehomed, recycled and used. Here and now.

So, I logged on to my Freecycle.org account and posted the item ‘Offered: Baby Doll: still in box’ for someone who maybe needs a gift for a little girl or boy. I will list the other items and post them as well.

In my room, I have a wonderful candle that I light every now and then. I decided to burn what I have and order more.  I went to the Henri Bendel website to order a new supply of Vanilla Bean candles only to find that HENRI BENDEL has closed up shop and all my candles are no more. It’s actually the smell and the memories they evoke that I’ll miss the most.  

Maybe that’s why people hold on to so many things – forgetting that it’s not the THING but the memory behind it that matters.

There are some smells that take me right back to another place and time. Old Spice, Jean Nate cologne, Ambush perfume, cigar smoke, Chanel #5, lilacs, cinnamon sticks – all have a place in my memory bank.

But not on my shelves or in my closets. Time to release, let go and plan to make more memories!