(Entering museums of personal belonging)
“It’s not about 500 rupees or 200 rupees, it’s about meeting and connecting with so many different people!” said V to me one day, as I gathered the ceramic pots that I had just bought from her decluttering post. It got me thinking – what were the reasons I was part of this movement?
I was introduced to a regular ‘preloved’ group about a year ago, and I joined on recommendation of a friend who said I could find anything I needed. As a firm believer in barter, circular economies and environmentally friendly purchasing wherever possible – I joined, and to my delight, I did get the very pieces of furniture and kitchen-ware I was looking for. But that was not all, I also love objects of all sorts.
Even while being very strict with myself (decluttering has to mean you are not adding clutter to your own home) I could not resist some beauties: a lamp here, a decorative shelf there, a set of bowls and a decanter elsewhere, justified fully because they were so inexpensive. Each object has its own history; there is a story of ownership and belonging, marks of the journeys it has made, and embedded reasons for its giving away.
I put some items on the group too, and it is so satisfying to know that something you loved and owned makes its way into another person’s life, finding new meanings and uses in their space.
With each item, there is a little experience and memory being generated. I learnt that one of my neighbour’s was producing home-made spice powders for curries, and needed empty glass jars for that reason – I also came to know he was getting ready for his daughter’s birthday; I had long and interesting conversations with someone else about the state of education in the country, and how homeschooling is the way forward to many, when she came to collect old text books. With B and N, it was possible to talk about design and personal aesthetics (and the pitfalls of hoarding beautiful objects); with L, it was therapeutic chatting about the failure of clothing brands to accommodate Indian womens’ shapes and sizes; with M, it was a long duration of over three months of exchanges before we managed to meet and finalise the handing over of a much-loved gadget.
This group has taken me to parts of town I had never been to, introduced me to people I probably would not have met, and continues to teach me that the value of things goes much beyond its monetary status.
It has put me in the position to imbibe the power of letting go of sentimental attachments, and to enjoy material in a more balanced way.
Decluttering groups are like lucky-dips, you never know what you will find! It’s sometimes like a running auction of peoples’ personal museums, and you may or may not get what you bid for…
I have known V now for many months now, we have spoken on several occasions over decluttering exchanges. We are friends in this world of fleeting and layered connections, where paths cross unexpectedly, and exchanging (pre)loved items is all the reason needed.
Lina Vincent