From the huge chest that is in my dining room that we don't use to dine, to the toys that live in my living room but should be upstairs in the playroom, or in the non-dining room, anyway. To the way that my bedroom could be in so much better shape, and how badly I'd love to tear up all of that carpeting and help myself and my allergies.
To the way I wish I had a laundry fairy, and a bed-making fairy, and a bathroom (especially shower) cleaning fairy, and so on and so forth.
But this is my home. I live here. It's where I have my day to day, it's where I sit and write, it's where the clutter grows around me, no matter what I do to try to stop it.
I'm hopeful that a garage sale in August will help me rid myself and my family of some of our unnecessary items. I'm not sure it'll happen, but a girl can dream, right? I surround myself with papers and books, boxes, baskets and bins, and so much more that is supposed to help me organize, but does not.
Why, you ask? Ha. I don't know. I ask myself the same question nearly every single day.
I'm hopeful that the garage sale will force me to get rid of and make money off of the Jumperoo that hasn't been used since the child was about 1, maybe one and a half, at the most. What else? The toy lawn mower, the bins of clothes I CAN let myself get rid of, despite feeling like I must hold onto everything she's ever worn, and everything she never got to wear. You know those items. The ones with the tags still on? Yeah, those.
Sigh. Sometimes I wish I could just hit my house by storm and run through it in such a way that I could turn it into exactly what I wish it could be.
Oh, and the books! Let me not forget how I hold onto books like they're a lifeline. Some I can afford to let go of, so those will go along the ways of the garage sale pile. I gave many away. I donated some, I donated more. And yet I still have book upon book. Upon more books. How to part with the stories that meant so much to me when I read them the first time? How to let those characters leave my life before I try to reunite with them once again?
I need to just do it. I need to just pass them along, sell them, swap them. Make room in my life, my home and my heart for more characters. More things that are essential to today for my life. For my home and my family. And someday these things, too, will move on without me. Leaving nothing but memories behind.
It hard to open a closet at my house and not see piles of thing we don't need.
ReplyDeleteI love the feeling you put into this post about desiring to have place with just what you need.
Yes, but once you see that clear space and have money in your pocket it'll all be worth it!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Saving Max but the main character TOTALLY gets on my last nerve.
Oh I feel you on this. I am on year 4 here, but before that I moved every two years as an adult. Moving is fabulous for purging and decluttering. I feel like I'm being buried and I have no motivation to clear it all out!
ReplyDeleteWe've done some major clearing out throughout our moves, but there are still times when I would love to just walk out, leave everything (except for pics!) and just start all over!
ReplyDeleteI used to feel like this. Then I found FlyLady over at flylady.net. She changed my life! Now, I've just gotta convince my mom to let go of the clutter!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your garage sale!
It may seem daunting, at first, when you think of it in terms of the whole house. Break it down into smaller tasks. Consider one room at a time or even one section of a room at a time. It will be worth it. Clearing your physical clutter helps to calm your mind as well allowing more room for creativity.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell this is a subject that I am passionate about? I am just in the process of building an organizing website. It is called OCD Organization Tips and is still "under construction" at this point. The OCD is a tongue in cheek reference to "Organize, Create, Design" although I have been accused of having OCD tendencies many times.
I have the same urge, just purge the house and start over again. A couple times a year, it gets to me and I throw stuff out or donate it. I never miss it once it's gone, but it seems to get replaced quickly.
ReplyDelete