Clutters Last Stand! by Pamela Perry
"Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40
I have declared it more than once – the war is on. But this time the clutter is not going to win! I will conqueror it before it conquerors me.
As a lover of books, magazines and newspapers, I find it extremely difficult to throw them away. Even with the age of the Internet, I still like to read my newspaper or magazine clips from its original form.
So, I have a home that is clutter prone. As a writer, anything that has words on it I think is important. (But I have learned to let go of Post-it notes).
Though every spring I make promises to do "spring cleaning" and every summer I try to have a garage sale to get rid of stuff – it keeps multiplying. I’ve been through this cycle for years. Dejunking is hard work. I have tons of books on the subject to prove it.
There are the rare moments when cleaning that I do find "treasures." I renew my commitment to save and re-file. Yes, I’ll keep that old issue of the newspaper from September 12, 2001 and I won’t part with the Time magazine with the tsunami cover story in it. That’s history and defining moments in my life.
But nothing gets you to tackle and defeat clutter than moving. All the "things" you thought you needed suddenly are unnecessary. I ask myself, "Do I really want to pack and move all those old trinkets to the new home? Do I really need all those things I’ve hidden in drawers and cabinets for years?" If I didn’t even know that the stuff was in there – toss it. No regrets either!
It’s so liberating. Tossing and letting go. Why did I even hang on to so much stuff to begin with? Travel light. I have a newfound freedom. It’s like getting a brand new lease on life. Clearing up clutter gives new clarity!
Cleaning out a cabinet, a drawer and a closet makes me feel like a new woman. I’m more excited about obliterating clutter than moving to the new house. I am destroying piles of junk like Rambo. I am tossing out stuff with reckless abandon like the Terminator.
I’m on a rampage. Through the kitchen – I toss out stuff I’ve never used. Through the garage – I have a big Hefty bag just looking to fill it with everything that in there. In my office, I am taming the paper Tiger.
Clarity. Focus. Freedom. Order. It’s so exhilarating – when you make room for the new by getting rid of the old, increase is the next season. I’m planting seeds too by giving away tons of stuff. This is the year of overflow and I now have room to receive it.
Clutters last stand – and I win – finally. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Hallelujah!
Pam Perry can be reached via her website at www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com. No junk emails please.
I have been fighting the war against clutter for let's say.... as long as i have had fine motor skills. It is a war of many battles day in and day out. I figured i can win if i just stopped creating the enemy -- and rather than fight many battles -- i have to create organization and peace of mind.
Posted by: diane | June 13, 2005 at 01:33 PM