Should We Keep It or Let It Go?
Lessons from shifting homes, boxes, and memories
“Should we keep it or leave it?”
This simple question has echoed through our home more times than I can count in the past few days.
We’re shifting houses, which means it’s packing time. Initially, the thought of moving felt exciting.
A new address, a fresh setup, the chance to create new corners and routines.
Once the real work began, it did not look that exciting though. The bubble wrap, the cartons, the chaos of rooms that no longer looked like home. The experience turned into something more layered, almost overwhelming.
Everywhere we looked, there were piles:
things to keep, things to discard, things we weren’t sure about yet.
Every cupboard opened, seemed like a deep well, hiding decades of possessions. Things we had forgotten existed, items once bought with enthusiasm but never really used, old souvenirs whose meaning had long faded. It was fascinating, and a little unsettling, to realize how much we accumulate quietly, without noticing.
At one point, I found myself holding an old dress I hadn’t worn in years. For a moment, I hesitated. It carried memories, yes, but not relevance. Did it really deserve space in the new home? The same happened with old files, chipped mugs, half-broken things that were promised to be fixed someday. That someday never came.
There was a debate for each item, to keep or to discard. Rarely, anything had majority. And in those little decisions; to keep or to let go, we realized that shifting homes isn’t just about moving stuff. It’s about sifting through the past, deciding what deserves to come along for the next chapter, and what needs to be left behind.
It struck me how similar this is to life itself.
We carry emotional baggage just like we carry physical belongings. Old fears, outdated beliefs, relationships that no longer serve us. Things we hold on to simply because they’ve been with us for so long. But do they deserve space in the next home of our lives?
Shifting taught me a few lessons that feel much bigger than just packing boxes:
1. Change is inevitable.
No matter how tightly we cling to comfort zones, life nudges us forward. A new home, a new city, a new phase and change arrives whether we feel ready or not. Resisting it only makes the process heavier. Choosing to assess the situation and plan for the change is better option.
2. Every change opens doors.
Yes, moving is exhausting. Yes, it takes away the comfort of the familiar. But it also creates room, both literally and metaphorically. A chance to reset, to refresh, to step into possibilities we couldn’t see before. Open minded approach to new things allows us to explore better.
3. Planning makes it smoother.
Little steps like below made all the difference.
Labelling boxes, sorting early, prioritizing what matters.
It reminded me how even in life’s bigger transitions, a little thoughtfulness can turn chaos into something manageable.
Somewhere in the middle of this chaos, I realized shifting isn’t just dreadful. It’s cleansing. It makes you confront the weight of what you’ve been carrying and then, it gives you the choice to set some of it down.
So, as I seal the last of these boxes, I find myself feeling lighter. Not because I’ve thrown away things, but because I’ve chosen more consciously what I want to carry forward.
Maybe that’s the true lesson in moving homes: the art of letting go gracefully, so we can move into the new with more space, more clarity, and more freedom.
💭 Over to you: Have you ever had to let go; whether of things, people, or old beliefs while moving into a new chapter of your life? What did the process teach you?