De-Cluttering

    This week I'm de-cluttering my home to get ready for a yard sale that I'm going to participate in next Thursday and Friday.  I de-cluttered my office yesterday and now my dining room is looking pretty bad with overflow sitting in boxes waiting to be marked and taken to my friend's garage.  Today I tackled the closet in my "used-to-be" office in which my husband now claims as his.  The frustrating thing about de-cluttering other areas of my home is that I end up having to bring more things into my office that belong here!   (I shredded the rest of my lia sophia paperwork today I'm feeling pretty good about that.)  I am hoping that as I let go of things I no longer love or use, more room will open up for positive and great new things to come in.                                                                                                                                 
 Several years ago I had a close friend drop by my home unexpectedly; she had felt a little depressed so she had gone through her already "cleared" and "organzed" drawers and was bringing me a few small items she thought I might like to have.  After she cleared out a few items she said she felt better.  When we have clutter in our home it can manifest with "clutter" in our lives and/or in our minds.  I believe that everything is connected.   

There are books written about clutter clearing; I have one of them titled, "It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh.  The back of the book jacket reads:
     "You want a life built on a solid foundation, but you can't even see the floor beneath you.
       You want to lose weight, but your kitchen is overwhelmed with appliances you never use.
       You want to build your career, but your office literally makes you feel ill.
       You want to change?  This is where it starts: your home.  Where you live, breathe, rest
       love, and create.  Forget the self-help books.
       Get rid of the clutter.  Get organized.
        If you do, I promise that every aspect of your life will change in ways that you never                      
         imagined  possible."


I am in no means like the hoarders you see on the television shows and you can walk in my home without stepping over things,well, except it's about to get that way in the dining room as I keep piling boxes of yard sale stuff! (does that really count?)   There are some days; however, when I can "feel" the clutter that I know is up in my attic, the extra clothes and shoes and accessories that are in my closet, and even the stuff out in the shed that needs to be gone.

I took the test in the book "It's all Too Much" to see how I rank in the area of clutter; the good news is that I'm not a "hoarder" and the bad news is that I'm a "clutter-victim"!  My prescription: "with a reasonable amount of effort you'll be able to get your clutter issues under control and keep them that way."

Chapter #3 in the book is titled, "Imagine the Life You Want to Live".  Quoting Mr. Walsh, "One of the most common errors people make when attempting to declutter and get organized is that they start with "the stuff".  This is a huge mistake.  Just moving the stuff around, into different rooms and new plastic bins, doesn't solve the problem.  In the beginning, remember:  Clearing the clutter isn't about "the stuff."  Don't focus on that or you are doomed to fall before you even begin....The key to getting---and staying---organized is to look beyond the stuff and imagine the life you could be living.  Imagine the life you want to live.  I cannot think of a sentence that has had more impact on the lives of the people I have worked with.  I'll repeat it again:  Imagine the life you want to live."  (another area of my "wants" list)

 Those are powerful words that I will be pondering as I am moving about with the daunting task (and a deadline as well!) of getting rid of my clutter.