What is it this time Julia? It is to declutter: sort and dispose of some of my possessions. Sort out and get rid of stuff! I know, yes, this whole topic is not very original, but here I go.
Why after all these years of living with and accumulating and even treasuring possessions, past and present, am I now attempting to launch into declutter?
It is small in the big picture as I am only attacking a few rooms: the den, master bedroom and bath, and the top of kitchen cabinets (where I store my cherished collection of flower vases). Since we built the house, these rooms have not been repainted, so they do need attention. And Barry and Laurel will come and wash the walls, ceiling, ceiling fan and so on.
It is just lovely to have people come and do these tasks. They do the work, but, like getting the carpets cleaned, there is quite a lot of prep work to be done, usually by yours truly—to clear the decks!
I am not a hoarder; well, I do hang on to sentimental things from my past a bit more than necessary. However, my hubby does veer towards being a hoarder. The den is particularly vulnerable to this tendency as he has a penchant for being ready for a tax audit that he feels could stretch back a couple of decades (I must add he is chronically honest when it comes to tax time). We have statements, accounts, sell & buy orders and receipts all carefully placed in file binders on the shelves in the den.
I have made the leap to go digital on all this, and what a relief that is. And I presume these same folk will have past records. This has let me dispose of masses of paper with joyous energy. Going digital with the paper is a declutter generational turnover! And to give hubby his due he did dispose of many years of paper production too. Gold star to Tony. He is not ready to abandon his statements on paper in the mail yet, he says this is the best way to keep up to date. (yes I did have suggestions about this issue….baby steps.)
Yes, that decluttering does feel good. They are right. All those people advising and making a career out of the, dare I say, cult of the declutter. Even my guru, Gretchen Rubin has a whole book about the importance of the declutter: Outer Order. Inner Calm. Unlike her other happiness books, all of which I have read, this one I have not read. Oh, I have it. This is a not-very-subtle reveal of my decluttering priorities. But I totally agree with Gretchen about this. There is a feeling of enlightenment when order is imposed.
OK so here is a plan: I will take breaks during my sorting and I will read another chapter in the book, they are short and snappy. There is a deadline: I have told the lovely and rather interesting couple, Barry and Laurel, that next week I will be ready for them.
Tally-ho Julia!