De-cluttering 101

Two days ago, my husband accused me of being a pack rat. This is something that I will not deny because everyone knows this about me.

Of course, at this stage in life, one has to let go of those old toys from twenty-something years ago that really, I'm sure my kids will not appreciate. And those old bits and pieces of paper with my crush's name written on it in multi-coloured markers.

The state of disarray my surroundings have gotten into is one of those things that I believe psychologists would refer to as a reflection of how cluttered the inside is. And yes, things have gotten quite messy in there too, hence the attempt to get some semblance of order inside and outside to help ease this nagging dissatisfaction with everything.

It's always hardest to let go of things to which some sentimental value has been attached. There is no actual price for sentimental value and putting one on it feels like it has desecrated the memory somehow.

That said, I've been putting together boxes and boxes of old books that I no longer want with the intention to sell them off on eBay or something similar just so I can be rid of them once and for all, and hopefully never set my eyes on them again. I can't remember if I mentioned it on this blog before but I have this neurosis where I feel like my old things accuse me of being a traitor whenever I give them away to someone and I see them again.

I'm not crazy. I'm just a little unwell.

If that sounded familiar, it's because it's from a song by Matchbox 20.

Anyway, the recycling kick has been part of this attempt to get things organised better. To be honest, I never ask for help during these times because I'm too scared of what people will make me get rid of, haha! This is why I can never be a participant in Clean House (even if they were to do it locally). I'd kick them out of my house and disown the friend or family member who suggested they pay me a visit for at least a month. No kidding.

Still, I'm quite proud of the progress I'm making so far. I've dug into my closet and dedicated about fifteen to thirty minutes every morning to putting laundry away and setting aside things that I want to donate, discard, or simply need to repair. I have a long way to go still but progress is progress.

There's space to sit at on our office couch, provided the cat is not sleeping on it.

And I have recycled two cat food boxes into file boxes.

Seeing this progress around me should take me out of my rut. My buzzword right now is crap, but I'm hoping it will revert back to awesome as I aimed for this year to be.