The Last 100 Things

Remember when I was brimming with confidence about my ability to purge 400 possessions from the Danne Dzenawagis Collection? You know, when I was effortlessly tossing things into my burgeoning donation pile, bragging about how I hadn’t even left the 3rd floor yet and was still going—make that throwing—strong? Well, my morale definitely dropped a bit when I went down to the lower levels of the house because it turns out that I store most of my things on the 3rd floor where my bedroom is, not in the foyer or the downstairs bathroom...duh Danne. Because of this, the last 100 things have been tough. I’m definitely a little more lax on my standards but I’m still as determined as I was at the beginning of the month. 400 things will be gone!

While this last installment of 100 has definitely been the most difficult, I also feel like it's been the most important. I’m going through things a second and third time, discovering hidden pockets of junk that I overlooked the first time, and most importantly, getting rid of stuff just for the sake of getting rid of it. After all, my goal here is to minimize, not just to give away some old clothes that don’t fit right anymore.

And minimize I have! Although I’m still working through the last 100 items, I’ve donated, recycled and thrown away hundreds of things and even managed to get rid of a bunch of old roommate leave-behinds from the basement. And my email minimizing? My incessant unsubscribing has proved to be successful because my inbox has been empty since lunchtime. Seriously, since lunchtime. No offers from Bank of America, no last minute sales, nothing. It's amazing (and honestly, a little weird).

In a way, it’s comforting to have a mental tally of what I own and to know that I’ve pared it down as much as I’d like to. UCLA neuroscientist Dr. Peter Whybrow, said it best in the “Living Better With Less” clip, “The more you acquire, the more in fact you have to worry about…” and I’m sure everyone could use a few less things to worry about.