<p>The NYT had a recent article on <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/health/01well.html?em&amp;ex=1199336400&amp;en=cf660b13b236f0a5&amp;ei=5087%0A">decluttering</a> which, of course, isn&#39;t surprising at this time of the year. The comments left on the <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/tackling-clutter-to-improve-your-health/">author&#39;s blog</a>, however, break my heart. I&#39;ve thankfully never had a hoarding problem but it has only been a couple of years since I&#39;ve learned to free myself from the tyranny of stuff. And it feels very, very good.</p>

<p>I may not be a neat freak that finds nirvana in vacuuming, but I&#39;m excellent at getting rid of things I don&#39;t need anymore. I also happened to marry a man who hates throwing anything out, who enjoys very much finding new uses for old things, and what this means is that I have to think VERY carefully about buying new things because if I&#39;m not careful I&#39;ll have to stare at that impulse purchase for the next twenty years. That has cured me of any desire to buy things &quot;just because.&quot; I also hate dust, and the more things you have, the more things you have to dust. Every time I&#39;m wiping something I ask myself &quot;is this <em>thing</em> worth it?&quot; A lot of the time it just isn&#39;t.</p>

<p>This morning I filled a large kitchen bag with pure junk - junk that was hiding in closets, boxes and drawers as well as right on my kitchen counter. Getting rid of it made the house feel lighter, the air felt cleaner.</p>

<p>Is it beautiful? Does it make you happy? Does it make your life easier? Do you really truly need it? </p>

<p>If the answer is no - get rid of it.</p>
