Part of me wants to be a minimalist. I look at my stuff and think, "that's too much stuff - I need less stuff."
But the sad fact of the matter is that my "clutter" can be largely divided into two groups:
1. Things that are actually useful, it's just that I haven't used them (yet)
2. Things I bought for hobbies
It's the second group that causes the most angst.
You see, I haven't given up hope. Sure, I haven't played that concertina/finished making that stuffed bear/actually used my whittling equipment to whittle anything for over a year (maybe longer). Heck, I have a tent (it's a really good tent) that I have literally never used - and I bought it over five years ago. But I still want to do "that thing". I want this to be a hobby that I actually do, and there's always the possibility that I'll be the person who does that thing if I have the stuff to do it with.
So, I have paints for the water colour painting that I don't do. I have a lovely chip-carving set for the chip carvings I have never made. I have dancing instructions and music for the Scottish Country Dancing I haven't done for years. I have instruments I was once passionately in love with, that I've barely looked it for an awfully long time. And I have a bag full of reclaimed material so I can practice making stuffed toys (even though I've been working on finishing one small bear for the past year).
I want to create, make, play, do... But I don't actually do any of these things.
Technically, it's all clutter. Just crap filling up the corners of my house.
But every time I go to clear some if it away, I remember the dreams that brought it into my house in the first place. I still have hope that "one day" I'll be the person who does that.
One day.
