The Question of the Kitchen-Aid

Last week, on a hot Saturday afternoon, I decided to do a quick clean-out of our garage, JUST FOR FUN. I filled up my water bottle, put some good music on the JBL speaker, and started opening up all the tubs and dusty boxes we had in the garage, seeing what we could consolidate, re-box, or send to the thrift store. The honest truth is that I genuinely LIKE, maybe even LOVE, cleaning out spaces. No one told me to clean out the garage, I just thought it sounded like a GOOD TIME, and probably needed doing. I love taking chaos and turning into at least some order. I love the physical labor, I love how you can see a difference that your efforts have made, I love how you feel lighter after getting rid of trash and send things to the thrift. I am not intimidated by messy spaces, I just see POTENTIAL, let's GOOOO!!

In the midst of my "fun little garage clean-out", I came across an item that represents the not-so-fun parts of cleaning out a space: the gray area decisions. The items that aren't trash or for the thrift store, but also don't really serve a purpose in your life, either. The item? My Grandma's adoooorable vintage Kitchen-Aid mixer.

This mixer deserves a better life than just sitting in my garage, don't you think!?

My first instinct was just to box it back up and put it back in the garage, where I have put it every time I have moved for probably the past eight years. The decision wasn't clear, so let's just delay that decision and keep the vibes going!!

But, as I looked at it, all dusty and unused, I thought...this mixer deserves a decision, I have the time, I have the skills, let's dig in.

The first step was recognizing that this vintage Kitchen-Aid mixer is not just a THING. It is:

-Charged with family ties, sentimentality, and GUILT! I love my Grandma!! Would I be a bad granddaughter if I got rid of her nice mixer?? Is that disrespectful?? I think my grandma gave it to me because she got a nicer one, not because she needed me to hold onto it for forever, but STILLL!

-Mixed up in Identity: Why do I have a voice in my head saying that "every woman needs a Kitchen-Aid mixer on her counter!???" Where did that voice come from, because it's not my own! I think that is outdated, I haven't used this mixer in 8+years, I have a smaller mixer that takes up less space, Ross and I don't really make big batches of things, it's not my vibe or color, I don't think I'll ever have the counter space for it....

-Probably worth something? Should I try to sell it? Is that disrespectful? Do I need to check with everyone else in the family to see if they want it before I get rid of it? Is it too heavy to ship if I put it on Ebay?? It is very easy to see why I have just delayed this decision. Family-related items are HARD, and we often just let them take up our space instead of taking time to make the gray-area decision.

I brought the Kitchen-Aid into the house, and verbally processed it with Ross, who agreed with me: this isn't something we need, I have many other ways to honor and keep memories of my Grandma, we shouldn't put it back in the garage. Having someone to validate and express your feelings about things to is KEY to being able to make a decision and feel good about it!! I also called my mom, too, who said she didn't want it and it's totally fine if I get rid of it. A little "permission"often feels validating in these situations.

Shinin' it up a bit!

Which just leads to another barrier: How...where...am I getting rid of a potential antique? I could just send it to the thrift store, but it looks like they are selling on Facebook Marketplace for a decent price, so I shined 'er up, took some pictures, and listed it. No one has inquired about it yet, but I'll give it some more time. If lowering the price doesn't get any takers either, I am okay giving it to the thrift store or seeing if any of my friends want it. It is currently still taking up space in my home: now it is on my desk, and I am going to leave it there until I sell it or give it away. WHEW. WHAT A FREAKING PROCESS, right?! And this was for ONE item, ONE family hand-me-down. It is no wonder that we get so stuck with sentimental items--there is a lot tied up in them, a lot of effort to get rid of them, and there really isn't a right or wrong answer. Those gray-area items are tough!

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And this is exactly why I started Soft Spaces!! You shouldn't have to make these decisions alone--because if you try, your brain will probably just say, EHHHH, let's just not make a decision right now, it's too complicated, and then your space just stays full of delayed decisions!

Having a clean-out coach, or "clean-out buddy" is having someone there who WANTS to help you talk through these tricky items. Who WANTS to help you find the decision that feels right. Who WANTS to take the time to "go there." Who has the EMOTIONAL SPACE to hear you verbally process the feelings of each item! Who has CREATIVE IDEAS and experience on how to keep a memory without keeping the item!

Who has read all the clean-out books so you don't have to!

Who can help you STOP DELAYING the gray-area decisions and be intentional about the items taking up space in your habitat!

I would love to come help you walk through your Grandma's vintage Kitchen-Aid and all the other gray-area items that are taking up space in your space. If you are interested in a free consultation, feel free to send me an email at kate@softspaceswithkate.com, or fill out the inquiry form, here! OHHHHH, and let me know if you want a good deal on a cute little vintage Kitchen-Aid mixer!! Haha!!