I have a love of STUFF. Craft stuff. Antique stuff. Fun and eclectic stuff. Sentimental stuff. STUFF. While it's exciting finding THE FIND at the local Goodwill or garage sale, ultimately, STUFF = CLUTTER.
I've struggled with clutter all my life. I come from a long line of dedicated pack rats, so I grew up believing this was a normal thing. In my family, for the most part, it IS a normal thing, but for me in particular, it can't be allowed. It's like an addiction, and I've got to commit, daily, to fight against it, break the habit, to RESIST the temptation of acquiring more things, and the clutter those things will ultimately create.
This pattern seems to go in waves. Sometimes I can stay ahead of it, really be hardcore with myself, and dedicated to resisting the thrill of looking for, or worse, bringing home the latest find. Eventually, I tend to slip, to fall back into the pattern of allowing myself to browse Craigslist or stop in at a garage sale or two, you know, just to peek - after all, what can it hurt? As it turns out, it can hurt - A LOT.
I'm a creative person, which can be great, but with clutter in the way, in every aspect of my life, my creativity translates into a hurricane of half finished projects and every kind of disorganization. The house is a mess. The daily home schedule has faltered. The farm schedule is starting to slip. These are problems I simply cannot afford to allow - and I'm the creator of all of them. Bad enough that I'm struggling through this monster I've created, but what's worse is that I'm teaching my children that this is normal, and that breaks my heart.
Right now, I'm DEEP in the clutches of clutter. I wouldn't normally share pictures - it's embarrassing as hell, but I feel it's important that I share this part of myself, this weakness and ugliness that I'm fighting against, as part of the process of not just committing to fight against it once more, but in staying true to my dedication against it, so that it doesn't become a problem ever again.
So here is part one: the sad ugly truth of the mess I've created with the dubious and brief joy of STUFF.
Starting today, I'm going room to room, and cleaning. I don't just mean cleaning as in, doing a load of laundry or dishes and some vacuuming, I mean CLEANING OUT THE CLUTTER. I'm wholeheartedly diving into "31 Days to a Clutter Free Life" (www.LivingWellSpendingLess.com). Here are the simple ground rules:
1. Everything must have a home
2. Everything must have a purpose
3. Everything must be in good working order
4. Everything must have a label
5. If it needs to go, get it out FAST