Hanging On
This month in "Smart Designs" (page 6), homeowner John Fernandez talks about bringing a different focus to his new condo by thinning his collection of European antiques in favor of a more contemporary look: "I thought it would be difficult to let go of some of those things, but I found it very cathartic."
Now, because he is an interior designer who frequently helps his clients edit their furnishings and because he was looking back on a purging process he had already come through, I made a real effort to suspend my disbelief and consider the idea of having a positive attitude while letting go of things to which you have grown attached.
But in truth, I am simply not that kind of person. The last time I moved, I had to have two friends coach me — goad me — into throwing things out. And though I acquiesced to most of their decisions, when they went home at the end of the day, I secretly went back and fished out a few things I wasn't quite ready to let go of. And it is with a mixture of pride and shame that I admit to being inordinately pleased with myself when, shortly after the move, a visitor to my new place admired one of the rescued items — the vindication of a pack rat.
