I have a room in my house (doesn’t everyone?) that’s a storehouse of “undiscovered treasures.” Any time I’m working on a project and I am in need of something (like a food dehydrator or a wrench), I check the spare room first. Invariably, I find what I am looking for. Or something else that will work instead.
While I always enjoy a good treasure hunt, I worry that this room is really just a physical manifestation of my cluttered mind. Yes, there’s good stuff in there like that extra set of twinkly lights, but there’s a lot of crap too, like the hairball Ambhyrr (Cat #1) threw up in 2007 which is now moldy and possibly breathing.
What other ick is in there?
When I first bought The Estate, I imaged this room as the “Creativity Center.” But, looking around, I see that the only thing created here in the last 5½ years is a really big mess.
Again, the similarity to my usual state of mind is striking.
As the scent of the New Year lingers in the air, I release my attachment to the clutter that I think keeps me “safe.” This may take a while as I have more than one room like this, but, as God is my witness, I will de-clutter.
Today, I went into the Spare Room and took out two things I used (balls of yarn) and two things I threw away (large pieces of cardboard). Only 457,862.7 things left to go.
That’s progress, isn’t it?
When we moved from Boise to Corvallis in 2007, we did a huge de-cluttering. It left us both feeling so much lighter and dare I say happier. We took something like 5-6 pickup truck loads of stuff to a local charity and another two loads to the local dump (the place to properly dispose of the chemicals we couldn't bring with us.) It was frightening to realize how much we'd accummulated over the years. We now live in a house big enough for all the stuff we need. And, we don't rush out to buy stuff to fill those empty shelves and cabinets. Once upon a time I would've felt the need, but now I smile when I open a cabinet to find it empty or nearly empty. Ah! It's so nice! I tell you this story in hopes it will both inspire you when the decluttering becomes overwhelming as I'm sure it will.
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