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In Sweden, there is a cleaning and decluttering concept called “döstädning”. Translated, this means…gulp…here we go…death cleaning. 0
Döstädning
26 December 2019
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We never really know what it will feel like to be in a new year, especially one so official and monumental until it's here. 0
Letter From the Editor – January
01 January 2020
Stories
Suitcase Rubble
December 29, 2019 by Contributors in Stories
While suitcase rubble has a certain charm to it – it has a way of cropping up outside of suitcases, and indeed, all over the house.

By Sarah Ward

This time of year, when so many Alaskans are looking to leave the dark and cold days behind for a hint of sunshine, I am reminded of a consistent vacation struggle- the suitcase rubble. I’m referring to that smattering of belongings that remains in your suitcase after you’ve returned from a trip, and that will still be waiting for you when you begin packing for your next one. When I open my suitcase, I’m reminded of where I went last, and also that I need to put in more effort at cleaning up this left-over clutter. While suitcase rubble has a certain charm to it, providing me with fond memories of holidays past – my suitcase rubble has a way of cropping up outside of suitcases, and indeed, all over the house. 

Lately, I have been on a cleaning binge around my home.

My weekends spent opening every box and sorting through every pile, have given me a certain perspective of the belongings that never fully get unpacked. They often end up being semi-forgotten, even though I’m always excited to see them when they are rediscovered.

In less than three years, I moved from my parent’s house to my own studio apartment, and then into a two-bedroom with my boyfriend. Throughout these moves, where everything I owned got thoroughly packed up and relocated, I managed to maintain a level of self-prescribed ignorance towards a solid heap of my belongings. These belongings – a mix of sentimental items, seasonal items, and some items that simply don’t serve any purpose but haven’t been thrown away – managed to move along with me. They weren’t fully unpacked and seemed to take up a substantial amount of space and energy when I moved them. Like the unpacked rubble left in my suitcase after a trip, my home became a metaphorical suitcase after my moves- with this mix of unnecessary items filling in any place it could settle, presumably, until my next transition.

In this current bout of cleaning, I have begun to sort through this rubble, and I have realized that a majority of the items that I held onto for so long hold no purpose, and therefore have no right to take up so much space. I have been downsizing, and I already see a difference. Without this clutter, I find myself appreciating the items that I choose to hold onto so much more. I am wearing jewelry that had been buried under old bike locks and empty perfume bottles, and I am decorating the apartment with small knick-knacks that had remained packed away in newspaper. I am beginning to see a well-organized home through the haze of boxes that never got emptied.

Sorting through the rubble is allowing me to enjoy these memories anew, without having to dig through a box or suitcase to remember the joy that they originally brought me.

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