Getting rid of the past

It's a lot more difficult than it sounds. I had a call on Monday from Rescue Mission asking for donations of clothes and wearables that they could use to help the homeless etc. So I said sure. I have plenty of clothes that I no longer wear, for various reasons but mostly because they appear to have shrunk over time. Anyway, they called again last night to remind me. So I bagged twelve grocery bags with shirts, jean, shoes and lots of stuff. I made sure it was outside my door prior to their pickup time. Well, it's still there. I didn't get a phone number so I don't know how to reach them. I called the one Rescue Mission I could locate and they weren't the ones.

This is the second time these people have failed to make the scheduled pick up. I've called another, similar agency and am waiting for them to call. Their machine only mentioned pickups for major appliances but I'm hoping I can talk them into picking this stuff up. I don't want to bring it back in. It was hard enough to get it bagged and, now that I've accepted that I'll never be able to wear those things again, I don't wan't to go through that stuggle all over.

A lot of the clothes are things I haven't worn since I retired. Ties, dress shirts, slacks. Some shoes that were not comfortable. Caps and hats that I've bought as souvenirs. A baby blanket I made and never got around to giving. An afghan I made for my mother twenty or more years ago. All things that I've just held on to through inertia or mistaken hopes that I'd be able to use them someday.

I need to apply the same ruthlessness to my stash. I know I have yarns that I will never use. Some are just dated. Some I don't like anymore. I know I'll have similar thoughts about the yarn as I did about all those clothes. "I might be able to use this someday," or "I remember when I bought this (or who gave it to me)." The biggest reason, though, is how much money I have tied up in those skeins. I just need to let go of that and all the other reasons and just get it done. Not that I'll be getting rid of everything but I've got to do something.