Mom says I am above average at accumulating stuff. I am also above average at getting rid of stuff too. My tastes have changed so much since I started keeping house with Brenton. With a baby toddler in our family, there is this whole new category of stuff added to life.
Looking back I can’t believe how much I have gotten rid of. There are only 2 things that I regret giving away–a denim jacket and a leaded glass window pane. All in all, the freedom from hundreds of pounds of junk is well worth getting rid of those 2 items along the way.
But my stuff is still holding me back. When I get to my death bed (many many years from now, Lord willing), I want to look back with no regrets, but I can’t seem to get my act together. I see my days slipping past like pearls dropping off a string and shattering on the ground. I’ve wasted too much time trying to get my act together already. I’m running out of time.
Right now someone is thinking, “You’re still young. You’ve got plenty of time.”
Either way, I’ve got a lot less time than I did 27 years ago.
At the end of my life, I’m ot likely to say, “I wish I had accumulated more stuff and spent more time cleaning house.”
Decluttering again because when I get the extra stuff out of my way I can get about with this thing called living.
For whatever reason, I have trouble doing things slow and gradual. When I set my mind to do something, I want it all done RIGHTNOW! (and yes, that really is said/ spelled with no spaces in it. I don’t have time for spaces in rightnow). in nature, slow and steady is the norm. It takes many years for an acorn to grow into an oak tree. Gradal wearing away by water created the Grand Canyon. A gentle breeze cools the air and helps pollinate the flowers. Then there is the hurricane. It still clears the air, but all the trees get knocked over in the process. It’s kind of the same thing when i decide to declutter–The room may end up clean, but the house is a disaster for a while.
I started my childproofing project in the bathroom. After clearing out everything that I didn’t need in there, I had 2 bins of stuff that I still need to find a home for. The bathroom has that just-moved-out echoey sound. I’m okay with that.
This is the first time that I have set out to organize and actually allowed myself to spend some money on organiztional tools. In the bathroom I got baskets and drawer dividers to my heart’s content.
The “new home” boxes are sitting in the kitchen waiting until I can find a new home for those items. Wonder how much of that I actually need to keep?
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This week, I realized something about Wiggles that made my stomach turn flipflops and my heart pound inside my chest–he could start crawling any day now. Oh how my life will change when that happens. I will spend my days trying to stay one step ahead of him, I will fall into bed at night, exhausted from running all day long (oh, that’s normal now). All the bookshelves will have to be attatched to the wall. All the cabinets will need safety latches. Thank God we don’t have stairs for him to fall down. Maybe that idea of getting a kitty isn’t such a great idea. I can see Wiggles enjoying the taste of cat food…or worse, getting into the litter box.
If I’m going to stay one step ahead of him, I need to start now. Books need to be taken off of lower bookshelves. Maybe I should just get rid of the bookshelves–they look a lot like ladders. Maybe I should get rid of the books–where would I store them if I don’t have bookshelves. I’ve never thought about it before, but computer cords could be a real strangulation hazzard. Maybe I should get rid of the desktop and replace it with that Macbook Pro Brenton has been asking for. Maybe I should eliminate technology all together. Where should I store my cleaning products? Should I switch to plain water to clean with? (Actually I’ve been using Melaleuca cleaning products for a while, they are a good non-toxic alternative. Horray for Non-Toxic!) Where should I store my sewing supplies so that Wiggles can’t get into that–pins, and needles, and buttons Oh My!
With all that to think about, maybe I should just get rid of everything and start from scratch. I’ll pad the house in foam-rubber and make sure that there is nothing that he could get hurt on. hmm…wonder how to make sure the foam doesn’t come out of the upholstry and cause a choking hazard? Maybe that’s not the best idea.
When I was in 6th grade getting ready for my first band concert, the band director, Mrs. Stufft told us, “If you feel nervous, take a deep breath and count to five, then let it out. If you still feel nervous, do it again. But don’t do it a third time because you will get dizzy and pass out!”
Time to take a deep breath…and another…now where’s my paper bag to breath in?
I need to write down a plan. Oh! Here’s a paper bag, I’ll write on that.
- Purge–Trash, New Home
- Categorize what’s left
- Clean
- Buy boxes, baskets, and drawer organizers, and sort to my heart’s content.
