How do I begin to purge... my beloved shoes?!!!

They say, "Thing don't matter".  I refuse to agree.  Simply because they do matter!  I'd be the first to admit that ALL my things matter a great deal to me.  But of course, that is just my opinion... and my opinion is what matters here.  =)

Years after I moved out of my parents' house, my sister who still lives with them decided to box up all my stuff that was taking up space and tossed them (needless to say, not carefully but carelessly) into the garage.  Over time, more stuff got stacked on top of those flimsy boxes and my prized possessions got crushed and damaged from moisture, dust and mainly filth.  When I saw what had happened, I was furious!  I felt a part of my childhood was destroyed...  Yes!  That's how serious it was.  I screamed so loud and got so very angry all because anything I had ever acquired, I respected it.  No matter what the item is, I cherish it.  Perhaps it is the process of acquiring what I own that makes it that much more important for me to also take very good care of these "things".  Either that, or I might have OCD.  Haha.  So, bottom line is that I respect my belongings and I often have a difficult time parting with them.  (No, I'm not a hoarder).  I just really love my things (not clutter)!

Back to how "things matter" to me... Well, shoes matter a lot to me.  I don't know why would a new pair of shoes make me so happy.  This high doesn't last for a long time, I understand.  But making myself smile just for a brief moment is quite enough.  It's sort of like giving a little girl a piece of candy to brighten up her mood.  Just like every other girl, there have been times that I've purchased a pair of heels on impulse, quite a few times as a matter of fact and later regretted it.  Instead of returning them though, I kept them.  I suppose that is how I ended up with over 200 pairs of shoes.  BUT, yet I still find it a bit difficult to part with them... thinking, eventually I'll find somewhere to wear them to.  I've become a shoe collector, I realize!  So, perhaps it's time to suck it up and purge what I won't be wearing now or ever!  After all, how many pair of heels does a girl need??  Don't answer that.

Ok, so I've finally decided to purge at least 50% of my shoes, clothes and handbags since I'm running out of storage space.  So far, little process has come from the "shoe" side but I've been working on it mentally~ trying to convince myself that I've owned the item, enjoyed it and now I can let it go.  These are the words from an ex-boyfriend... and somehow I tend to still remember them...hmmm.  I do wish I had an incentive to part with things that do matter!

These brand new pairs are the newest in my collection and naturally I will not part with them just yet.  I just need to find an occasion to break them in. =)  I love them!  They made me very happy on a very sad day.

(Steve Madden P-Woww in Pewter) so pretty!

(Enzo Angiolini Eastarlite in Gold Multi) Gorgeous!

I think I feel the same way about nice shoes as some gals feel about jewelry.  I love jewelry too... but I think I adore shoes much more.

Part of the "shoe closet"

I must make a point in saying that I do take extra care with my things, especially my beloved shoes.  The way I look at it is if I decide to take something home and own it, I should respect it and continue to love it.  These are of course the material things that some say do not bring the satisfaction of happiness (and I do not beg to differ) but for me, if something I love brings a smile to my face... even if it's just for a few short moments, they then of course make a whole world of difference to me.  If I didn't love what I own, I wouldn't be having such a difficult time purging. Having said all that... I still have to PURGE, and remind myself how I owned and "enjoyed it" so I can feel good about letting it (whatever it is) go. Maybe someone else will enjoy owning it too.