sometimes you have to strike when the iron is hot. last night i was in the mood to clean out the closets. i have a lawn sized garbage bag filled with clothes. a box full of shoes, and a wool coat that is 20 years old, all ready to go to the donation center. we have a goodwill in our town, however there is another little donation center that takes clothes and distributes them to those in need, for free. even though some of these clothes are “not in style” they are casual dressy enough for someone to put together an outfit for a job interview.
i had sorted out the clothes, including a sweater/skirt set complete with shoulder pads, when i decided to go through the shoes. i started to head out to the shed to get a box, it was almost 10pm, so it’s dark out there, as i approached the shed i started talking loudly to carl, and telling him if he was around to go back in his little hole in the ground so i could get into the shed. i was a few feet from the shed when it occurred to me, he could be sitting right there and i would never know it. just as i was thinking maybe i would wait until daylight to get that box, my cell rang. scared the crap out of me, it was my friend jen calling me back for our wednesday night phone~a~friend. (we laughed our asses off) i get the box out of the shed tonight when i get home, no doubt carl doesn’t want an up close and personal encounter anymore than i do!
i came home from vacation last monday and i had this little bit of a let down. i was off work for 13 days and had a bit of a whirlwind vacation. 5 days in saugatuck, 2 days home, 4 days in toronto and 1 day home then back to work. it went by so fast, and i really enjoyed my time off. i spent my vacation surrounded by loving supportive friends, and i was so filled up. they do a lot to boost your confidence, one of the reasons i love them so much. i pulled in my driveway, unloaded the car, opened the back door and stepped onto the porch. pepper took one look at me, jumped off the chair she had been sleeping in, walked away tail in the air and laid down in the yard with her butt facing me. (so what are saying?) i sat down, and having just been emotionally rejected by my cat, i looked out into the yard and thought, i should cut the grass tomorrow, i should do a bit of laundry, and maybe straighten up the house a bit before going back to work wednesday. then it occurred to me, oh god! i have to go back to work wednesday! back to the real world, and real life. no more hanging with my pals and having a good time! (seriously, i wanted to cry!) then lori called and talked me down. i love my friends.
when i got up tuesday morning the thought of spending an entire day just cleaning was a bit daunting, needless to say none of it got done. when i got back to work yesterday and thought about breaking it down a bit more, maybe not trying to get all done in one day or even one weekend, then all at once the task felt completely do~able. i even started to get a bit motivated if not inspired. let’s just hope i can keep this up long enough to actually accomplish something.
believe it or not tonight when i get home i am going through the stash and i am tossing out yarn. that’s right, you read here first. i will be bagging up yarn and donating it. to be fair it’s the yarn people have given me, bless their hearts their intentions are in the right place, but it’s all the yarn they had stored in their attics and basements for years, sometimes decades even. it’s a bit musty smelling. why i have this compulsive need to hang on to every bit and scrap of yarn i don’t know, but tonight it’s time to batten down the hatches and clean out the yarn bins.
i started cleaning up the clutter earlier this year and i fell off the wagon. i had forgotten how good it really felt to make room, clean up, let go of some of this mess. people have often said that this process is very cathartic, and it’s true. i had also gone full steam ahead on trying to eliminate debt this year, that went by the wayside, but with all this cleaning up and looking at how much money was wasted (yes truly wasted) on stuff. i am starting to get motivated on that front as well.
the key here is to take my time and not get overwhelmed with the task at hand. i started this process this year fully expecting to take a minimum of a year to get everything in order. there is no set date as to when i have to have everything done. when i change my point of view and look at things from that perspective it’s actually a very enjoyable process. (feels good to be back)
