Sorting Stuffies

In my defense, I didn’t have many stuffed animals as a child. I had a few well-worn beat up hand-me-downs from two older sisters, and a couple of “pretty” ones that I wasn’t allowed to play with because they were for display only (per my mother). So I didn’t really appreciate them. Unfortunately as an adult, my best friend dragged me to the dark side. Not going to make excuses here, but suffice it to say we had one full bedroom chocked full of stuffed animals, which is one reason apartment management disapproved of our use of space. This was the primary reason we got a storage unit. There simply wasn’t enough time to go through all the yarn and stuffed animals crammed in that spare bedroom and make any good decisions (I didn’t think chucking it all without looking was a good decision either). I think Kondo would agree here. Many of those things sparked joy for me, and to get rid of them without consideration would be foolish. Not to mention the feeling of resentment and hate at feeling forced to do so. If I go through them now and find many of them don’t spark joy, at least I can part with them willingly and peacefully.

The good news is that most of them are in near-mint condition, and I have a few families lined up as possible recipients. In extended family I have 5 grandnieces/nephews under the age of 5 spread out in 4 families. I also have a recently pregnant coworker who doesn’t even know the gender of her child yet, but said she’d be happy to take some. At least I know they will go to good people who will appreciate them, vs. the impersonality of dropping them off at a thrift store. That should help some, right?

Also think we could donate some to children’s hospitals or fire department if they keep stuffed animals on-hand for children being treated or traumatized (I think some places used to). We can’t use any tax deductions, but perhaps we can get a little bit of a warm fuzzy feeling believing some children out there will appreciate what we’re parting with.

Although this is technically "miscellaneous," I'm afraid some of them might border on sentimental. I can recall where and when we got a lot of these, including vacations and what we used to call "stuffy treks." (sigh) Now to sort. Or at least start.