Melissa over at The Inspired Room has made a list called "20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn," and has invited us to join her in creating our own lists. Autumn is my favorite season, so I've tried to keep my list to 20!
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September 2008
20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn
Some of My Favorites ~ I Actually Threw Them Away!
I arrived home from work early the other day, got caught up on email, and then decided to sit in the living room with a cup of tea. A creature of habit, I always sit in the same spot unless we have guests, then everyone can sit where they're most comfortable. But the other day, I decided to sit in a chair I hadn't sat in for quite a while. I was surprised to realize that the view of the room from that angle was not as great as I thought it was.
While everything looks just as I want it to look from where I usually sit, there was some fine tuning to do given my new vantage point. And the first thing I had to do, which I'd been meaning to do anyway, was minimize the number of magazines I have.
I love home decorating magazines, and the idea of parting with them surfaces some degree of separation anxiety. Throwing out photographs of stunningly designed rooms seems just short of illegal to me. How could anyone disregard such beauty? But I faced my fear and went through all the magazines in my home. I had decisions to make, i.e., which ones to toss and which ones I wanted to keep forever and ever amen.
I automatically threw out all the non-decorating magazines. Then I divided the rest into stacks by magazine title and took a good hard look at them. It's just crazy to keep so many magazines, I convince myself. Even if I had those nice shelf-style magazine holders, I had too many magazines. Period.
I determined which magazines I would keep, then I held my breath as I picked up the first stack and headed to the recycling bin. I couldn't believe I was throwing them away! I felt as though I was trashing all the rooms I had fallen in love with on those pages. More than that, I felt as though I was throwing into the garbage the rooms themselves! After a few more trips to the recycling bin, I assessed the magazines that were left, and I was pleased with what remained.
There is no way I will ever throw away another Victoria magazine. The last time I moved, I threw most of my collection away and subsequently found out the magazine was going to be discontinued. I couldn't even pine over old issues in the absence of new ones. I was thrilled when I learned the editors were resuming publication of this all time favorite. So, Victoria stays. And, in keeping with that genre, so does TeaTime.
Equally stunning pages fill the pages of Traditional Home and Veranda. And last but not least, Martha Stewart Living is another that I cannot yet bring myself to toss. So I've kept them, too.
I'm happy with my choice and am glad to see this growing collection pared down. After more fine-tuning, I checked out the view from the chair in my living room I rarely occupy. Ah, much better. From now on I'm going to try to remember to sit in every chair in my house for at least a moment to be sure the view is as lovely as I intend it to be.
Fall Is On Its Way!