My client came across some portable desks that her children used when they were home schooled. I asked if she was going to use them again. She said no, but said she couldn't let the desks go because they were emotionally charged.
I said that it's natural to want to keep things that bring back positive memories. When we come across charged things we haven't seen in a while, we can get a powerful buzz. It can be intoxicating. We want to hang on to the things because of the intense feeling it brings up in us.
But the feeling only lasts a few minutes. As humans we acclimate to things. We get used to something and it becomes normal to us. I've seen this experience happen with numerous clients. What usually happens is they want to put the item back in a box, drawer, storage locker, or back of the closet. I said that it's as if they've thrown out the thing because they don't see it anymore.
She said she understood, but felt a lot of resistance. She felt she would be getting rid of something that was special to her.
I said the desks were special to her. But there are things in her life that are special to her now in the same way the desks once were. Hanging on to things that were no longer a living, supportive part of her life would distract from the things that truly mattered to her now.
My client said, "I want freshness in my life. I want lightness." She decided to donate the desks.