First update in a year...

The summer proved to be fruitful at first.

I had two yard sales, each yielding about $200, and astonishingly left me with almost nothing in the "sell or give away" pile. After the second sale, it was hard to believe that the giant pile o' stuff that filled the corner of my basement was now gone.

Riding the momentum, I cleaned up and gave away my wet vac and sold the furniture in my guest room, except for the bed. Once my housemate leaves for good, the bed will go to Craigslist!

And....then it happened.

A relapse.

The emptiness of the basement, the realization that belongings that have been in my possession were now gone, the concert tees that I sold off as my first big step to letting go.... it all hit me, and hit me hard.

I found that I was unable to throw away the empty litter tubs....trash piled up in the basement. I started hoarding bills and paper again...and food that needed to have been discarded, remained. I started shopping for things I didn't really need. Surfaces became cluttered, hallways soon filled with bins and random items.

The house that was on the cusp of beautiful minimalism began to look like the beginning of a hoarder house in just a few months time.

It's now November, 2011. I began this weekend by taking out some of the trash and throwing away rotten food. Step 1 all over again.

Tomorrow I'll go through my closet and find clothing to donate to charity, and begin the slow process of culling once more. Proof positive that physical possessions are easy to make disappear-emotional baggage lingers much longer. The worse my depression grows, the harder it is to let go of physical belongings. Until I address the emotional side of what is preventing me from letting go, I will not be able to maintain a minimalist house, free of clutter.