The heirlooms we were offered became a source of contention. We didn’t want to hurt the feelings of the original owner, so we kept certain items we didn’t want while cussing those pieces under our breath and often stubbing our toes on them in the dark—a corner cabinet, a cedar chest, a table and chairs. In the end, we let all of them go except for a couple of extremely special pieces.

When furniture becomes an anchor we don’t want, we can be weighed down or find an outlet.