Wednesday, January 14, 2009

(Slightly) Less Clutter Everywhere




So here are the closet after pictures.
(For before shot scroll down to the Clutter, Clutter Everywhere post.)

I should probably jettison more, but I'll let the Lupus Foundation pick up what I have first; even after taking a load to the thrift shop, and throwing out a ton of rubbish, the amount I have on the porch to donate is more that what I could fit in my car.

An unexpected complication is that Isaac can now get at everything on that bottom shelf. The photo albums should be pretty safe, but those puzzles will be a nightmare if he decides to pry open the boxes.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Family Pictures







Photo credit goes to Josh Wilcox. You're awesome!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Clutter, Clutter, Everywhere


Before our Christmas travels, I visited the home of a friend who practices Feng Shui. The first thing to do: get rid of clutter.

I love it! Getting rid of things feels exhilarating, almost like a runner's high. I feel light, as though I’ve broken free of weights. Each thing I’ve avoided dealing with is a decision deferred, and as such, carries a psychic burden along with its physical presence.

As I fill up bags and boxes of things to recycle and give away, I'm a little ashamed at how much junk I have. I've been carrying all this around with me--for what?

We keep things for different reasons. Maybe we paid a lot for something, and even if we don't need it anymore, the remembered price won't let us let go. Or perhaps it was a gift. Or maybe we think that one day in the unforeseeable future it may be useful, and won't we be glad we saved it?

I've used only a few of things that I've saved and lugged across the country with me.

I know exactly why I have so much junk. I procrastinate. When the kids outgrow clothes or toys, I just push then aside, in the closet or corner, to deal with later. Everyplace fills up with a jumbled mess of once useful things that slowly devolve into worthless junk. All these things calcify around me, binding me. It's easy to look around and think "I wish I had something better, something more, something else". But this letting go has helped me see how much overabundance I have.

As I clear away the clutter, I can see that I already have everything I need.