I’ve been away from home for over a week. It should make me happy to hear from my wife that she’s been tidying up and reducing clutter. So why did I feel a pang of anxiety when I read this?
I sorted through some of my clothes today. Tossed a few things, stashed a few things. Made a little more room and reorganized.
I immediately wondered what she threw away, if they were things I might want and/or that still could be used to shoot content in.
Even though I talked myself back out of these irrational counter-productive worries, part of being healthier with this stuff is observing the feelings and thinking through whether they actually make sense, and practicing being grateful.
I’m giving myself credit for not asking my wife any time-wasting, stressful, useless, hoarder-y, anxious questions. She doesn’t need my approval. She doesn’t need to provide me an inventory or itemized list or pictures of what she kept and what she got rid of. Those are her things; I can just be happy for her letting go of stuff she no longer finds useful and getting more space and clarity for herself. I can appreciate having less STUFF at home in general.
I can recognize that if she had not disclosed this information to me, I would not have missed whatever stuff she got rid of.
I can acknowledge that I have not lost anything … we have only gained from this.