I thought about making the title of this post Confessions of a Recovering Messy, but I'm not sure that I'm really on a path to zen cleanliness. No judgment, but that's just not my status quo. It's not that I'm a slob, mind you, but my actions are often governed by inertia. Because creating order hasn't been a priority, when I open a package I leave the wrapper on the table (hence the need for this week's good dirt challenge of buying stuff with less packaging). I kick off my shoes in the middle of the living room instead of putting them on the shoe rack by the door. I pile bags at the bottom of the stairs, but never take them up. These little bad habits can quickly add up to a big clutter-ful mess.
I hate it.
I am one of those people who are strongly affected by disarray. Tripping on some wayward object can keep me metaphorically stumbling through the next few hours. Articles about the negative effects of clutter often include people describing how messy surroundings make them feel: exhausting, draining, suffocating, overwhelming.... I am one of those people. I know this about myself, and yet I. still. make. messes. The fact that I do so lessens my potential - my potential for a relaxing evening with my family; my potential to enjoy an impromptu visit from a family member or friend; my potential to actually finish a DIY project; my potential to start my day feeling calm and unhurried. You get the idea.
Sure, there are times that call for making a big ol' mess. A pillow fort during playtime with the kiddo, a kitchen full of detritus from baking an elaborate birthday cake, a towering pile of photo albums while making a family scrapbook. Fantastic messes. But great messes shouldn't still be there tomorrow, or next week, or... ahem, in a month or more. Even a fantastic mess past its point of utility can become a nightmare.
This week's good living challenge is to declutter something. Anything. I'm not encouraging you to become an overnight minimalist, but rather to pick what ails you and clean it up. Or, maybe you will choose to focus on a behavior instead, like pledging to actually throw away your trash for an entire day (I'm looking at you M&M wrapper, gas station receipt, junk mail!). My hope is that you will feel less stressed, breathe a little easier and see the good that comes from creating space.
It's good to let things go sometimes.
I hate it.
I am one of those people who are strongly affected by disarray. Tripping on some wayward object can keep me metaphorically stumbling through the next few hours. Articles about the negative effects of clutter often include people describing how messy surroundings make them feel: exhausting, draining, suffocating, overwhelming.... I am one of those people. I know this about myself, and yet I. still. make. messes. The fact that I do so lessens my potential - my potential for a relaxing evening with my family; my potential to enjoy an impromptu visit from a family member or friend; my potential to actually finish a DIY project; my potential to start my day feeling calm and unhurried. You get the idea.
Sure, there are times that call for making a big ol' mess. A pillow fort during playtime with the kiddo, a kitchen full of detritus from baking an elaborate birthday cake, a towering pile of photo albums while making a family scrapbook. Fantastic messes. But great messes shouldn't still be there tomorrow, or next week, or... ahem, in a month or more. Even a fantastic mess past its point of utility can become a nightmare.
This week's good living challenge is to declutter something. Anything. I'm not encouraging you to become an overnight minimalist, but rather to pick what ails you and clean it up. Or, maybe you will choose to focus on a behavior instead, like pledging to actually throw away your trash for an entire day (I'm looking at you M&M wrapper, gas station receipt, junk mail!). My hope is that you will feel less stressed, breathe a little easier and see the good that comes from creating space.
It's good to let things go sometimes.
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