"While I don't have that many records, I am not listening to them, because my turntable is not working. I have a big Pioneer stereo system that I can't get rid of. Part of it works and part doesn't. I tried to give it away on freecycle. Nobody wanted it. I don't know what to do with it! I don't want to add it to the landfill."
When we hang onto things that are clearly not serving us, that are actually causing us pain, we are turning our homes into landfills. In this situation, you may not see it that way because you are under the spell of the memories of these things. But living this way turns your home into a garbage dump. I'm using strong words because when you are under the influence of clutter, you don't see the full extent of what's happening. If you did, you would get rid of these things instantly.
"This whole music thing is a major source of irritation to me. I love music, but I'm not able to enjoy much of it. I have put some CDs on my iPod. Should I go totally digital? Quandry?"
The confusion makes sense. There are different sides that are vying for your attention and distracting you. One side says, "I love music", the other side says, "The whole music things is a major source of irritation to me." There are the memories of the joy, and the current feeling of pain and suffering. Both are equally loud. I'm asking you and everyone to differentiate and single out and notice the pain. Clutter hurts us.
Let the memories fade to the background and notice how uncomfortable you are. You wouldn't buy a shoe that looks great, but causes your foot great pain. There's no place in our homes for things that hurt us. It's the one and only criteria for whether something stays or goes.
Once the landfill in our homes go, we begin to get the solutions. It's hard to have the clarity to know the solution when our minds and hearts are clouded with confusion. When the clutter goes, we get back our peace of mind and we begin to know what to do.