Deborah, I wrote a post about clutter that expresses similar frustrations...

Hi Deborah,  I think you should give the cat a place of honor--just think of all it has seen!  You could tape it's history to the bottom.

Hi Brian: I'll check it out. Synchronicity is funny that way!

Leslie: It's so scary looking, though!

Deborah, on second thought, are you sure it's a cat?  He looks to me like he might be a Boston terrier.  As a dog, he (she?) wouldn't be so scary looking...

OMG, Brian! Duh!!! You can tell I barely glanced at it - never really examined it - just thought it was bizarre. I think my mother told me it was a cat and I just saw it as a really scary looking cat. Isn't perception funny? I even took a picture of it without REALLY looking at it at all.

I think there is a lesson in there somewhere! Thank you for your keen observation, however it didn't even have to be that keen. In retrospect it seems obvious, but then everything does.

This says something about taking things at face value for sure.

How do you strike out letters?

Brian: I just went back and read your clutter blog and also my comment on it. I spoke about my process in dealing with all of the physical and emotional stuff that went along with dealing with my father's death and the mounds of paperwork I was left to sort through . . . It was overwhelming, I will tell you that. Dealing with your own stuff is one thing, but taking on another's stuff is just incredible.

I'm dwelling with a lot of clutter right now and it's driving me crazy...we sold our lake condo, all of our personal stuff is now in the house, my garage is packed with stuff from moving my mom to a condo. My youngest daughter is going through all of her stuff, I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT AS IT GOES TO THE CAR AND TO GOODWILL. Otherwise, I know I would be pulling things out!

Debbie: You are very smart! It takes a lot of energy to deal with "stuff." Good luck in letting go - I know I always need encouragement because my nature is to hang on "just in case."

Can't say enough about clutter. Once you're past location and price - I believe it's the #1 reason a house won't sell. Buyers can't get past it! It's a **** good thing I'm not trying to sell my house.

Jack: I hear you! I believe our own clutter becomes invisible to us.

Hi Mom,

I think it is a dog.  Maybe we should take pictures of things and put it in a book with the story.  That might take some time tho.  :)

I think it is important to clear somethings completely out of the house.  Don't save clothes and broken things.

-Heather

Hi Heather: Thanks for stopping by. Good idea about taking pictures of things and putting them in a book. Maybe when I am old and senile I can embark upon that chore!

When I read your advise not to save clothes and broken things, I wasn't sure what you were talking about, but then I remembered I had written about that. Talk about senile! Anyway, what I was referring to are specific things that are otherwise cherished that "just need one part" or something. As you may recall, I have a round, antique end table that fell apart and is in pieces in my basement. It is absolutely my favorite end table of all time and it just needs to be reassembled - glued together probably. I would never get rid of it and do intend to fix it "someday." But generally, I believe it is best to get rid of such stuff, if you can bear it.

P.S. It is so obviously a dog. I don't know why I just accepted that it was a cat, just because I was told it was a cat.

Deborah, The way I see it is that whatever it is, it's LUCKY.  And treasured to be passed down.  I'd give it a place of honor as well.  I told my children the few things that are important to me and why and they know what to keep; very few things have a lot of meaning but some do.  If your children are young, I'd write it down.  My grandmother (so there would be no fighting) wrote down someones name on who she wanted things to go to.  Great post about clutter!

Hi Carole: Thanks for stopping by. I agree that the idea of it is lucky (a receptacle full of nickels from a grandma), but from the minute I saw it, I had a negative feeling about it - not sure if it was the way it looked or something else. I have found a nice spot for it, though.

Take a picture of the stuff then put it on the next truck to Goodwill, or sell it.  Put the pictures in an album and save it for the kids. 

Ever since I realized it is a dog, not a cat, I have developed a fond feeling for it (not because I don't like cats . . . only because this would have been one weird looking cat).

Deborah:  The dog held meaning for your grandmother and mother.  Have you thought about doing an ebay search to see if your dog is collectible.  Who knows, it might have real value along with sentimental value.  There may be some markings somewhere on the dog to help you determine the age or where or who made it.  That would be some interesting information to jot down in your book or notes.  At least, if it is a piece you have to explain, it could give you some more interesting facts.  Have fun with it!

I wrote this blog in October of 2007. As I look at it now, it seems so obvious the figure is of a dog, not a cat, as I originally thought. It makes me reflect on ideas of perception and awareness. I saw the figure as a cat, initially, and made a judgment that it was unattractive and undesirable. I believe the incongruity between my perception that it was a cat and the fact that it really was a dog might have been much of what caused me to view it as unattractive.

But the larger interest is in my own misperception of what now seems obvious. I think the saying is that "you don't know what you don't know." Once you know it, it all seems so obvious.

I am just marvelling at this phenomenon.