Wednesday, April 11, 2012

1 Day At A Time.


This is a picture of underneath my bed. It wasn't always this way. It wasn't even this way at 8 am this morning. That's when I started working on cleaning it out. I couldn't see from one side through to the other. I was worried I might find something dead or on a better note, something valuable. But I didn't find anything dead or valuable.... all I found is junk. Junk that is leaving my house, one box at a time.

Its not easy to change a lifestyle that is on the road to Hoardersville (so not a real place, I checked). There are still days when I bring more into our home than I take out. But since we decided to make the move into the city, and thereby sacrifice the size of our house, I am committed to making this work for us. I still look at things & see value in them (when there is none or only sentimental value). My first impulse is still to hold on. Just in case...

But I know that our new, simplified (?) life won't allow for those things. And I am weirdly grateful for that. It's like there is someone standing over me (I picture Matt from the show Hoarders) telling me I can't fit all this stuff into my new apartment. And I know deep down he is right. I am right. It must go. 

Yesterday the kids & I rode my bike to the grocery store. I've done it before, lots. But now I am trying to do it with a  different frame of mind. What if we didn't have two vehicles? Could I work & live within my community? Do I need to use 1/2 a tank of gas each day to get done what needs to be done? Can I handle the limitations of the urban life we are chasing? Truth be told... I'm not sure.

But if practise makes perfect then I am by all means going to practise simplifying.

Yesterday I cleaned out the bathroom. Not a big job, right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. I finished with a full garbage bag & half a box of stuff donate. From a bathroom. That's embarrassing.

Today I tackled under the bed. And I was in The Groove. I pulled out a box of recycle, a box of donations & a bag of trash. It felt so good. When I was done, I just laid on the floor next to the bed for a while. Molly laid on my belly.

Then I did the closet (my side only.). Two garbage bags there, one to donate, one to drop off at the consignment store. 

1 Day At A Time.

And I should be ready by the summer.

1 comment:

Jennifer DeWolfe said...

We did the same thing the last time we moved and it felt great. Funniest thing is we moved it all first then cleared it out. What you are doing is much smarter!

5 years later and I can't tell you one thing I miss that I got rid off ... hope that makes you feel better about it.

btw ... I've seen your bathroom ... where the hell we you hiding it all!?!