Three years ago, Mr. Andi accepted a job here in Mayberry, about 350 miles from where we were living. We moved our (then) family of three into a rental house with just the essentials while we tried to sell our house. Several months later, we did sell it but closed the week of Christmas, which meant extremely rushed packing and very limited purging.
Several weeks later, in early 2009, we moved into our current home. I spent the first few months getting things in pseudo-order, and not long after became pregnant with Nathan. Nine-ish months of nausea and reflux transitioned into an infant’s first year, so the purging was delayed further.
A couple of weeks ago I decided that now that I was finally feeling well enough and the baby was “easy” enough I could get to work decluttering, purging, and adding some “final touches” that I hadn’t gotten around to yet. I’ve accomplished a lot (with more to do), but in addition to having a New and Improved living space, I’ve learned a few things along the way.
1. Old clothes that don’t fit anymore don’t inspire me – they just depress me. I’m 41, not 21, and I think I look pretty good for my age (when I actually fix my hair, put on makeup, and wear something other than T-shirts, anyway). My body didn’t change a lot when I had Sarah Kate, mostly because I missed most of the third trimester, but it did with Nathan. There’s no sense in making myself uncomfortable or sad over a little pooch in my belly. My boy’s sweet smile is worth having that pooch.
2. My life has changed drastically since I became a mom. In our file cabinet I found old work evaluations, grade reports from graduate school, and my LSAT score report. In December of 2002, I was working in energy marketing, part of an executive mentoring program at my company, and applying to law school. By May of 2003, I had put aside all of those things to stay at home with Sarah Kate. Occasionally I do miss my career, but I’ve never regretted leaving it behind.
3. Cluttered surroundings equate to a cluttered mind. I’ve been struggling for a few months most of the last year to keep up with what I need to do and when I need to do it. I’ve chalked it up to new baby + old age, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. It’s been frustrating at times because I’ve felt like I was never acting, only reacting, in my daily life. Now that I’ve decluttered and reorganized, I feel like I’ve got a better handle on things.
4. Giving doesn’t just feel good – it’s also really easy. I know lots of people prefer to use a yard sale or consignment shop to help clean out their closets and make a little money back (and there’s nothing wrong with that). As for me, I’d rather drop my things at the crisis pregnancy center or the Goodwill and know that I’ve done something for people in need.
Have you done any spring cleaning lately? Take a minute to tell me what you learned (or found!) when you did.
When we cleaned out our garage a few weeks ago to make room for the car Tim only kept for a few days, I found boxes of junk from our old house 4 years ago. It was sad that I just tossed the stuff – haven't looked at it in 4 years, why now? I'm getting so much better with throwing out what we don't need.
After spending 3 winter months in Florida, I resolved upon my return not to just cram the clothes back into the closets and drawers. Instead, I am methodically going thru things and bagging up stuff that has not been worn in years, okay – maybe decades – and getting them ready for donating to the next charity that has a truck in the area. I even got hubby to do the same; only he is done and I have barely scratched the surface!
You hit the nail on the head with #1 & #2. That being said, I still need to clean out my closet, filing cabinet, well the whole house basically.
I am so excited to do our clean – actually it is more like a moving in again, and giant sort, as we put everything in storage (without sorting) while we have been doing the building works. I am looking forward to having an organised place again, someplace the adds to my peace of mind rather than clutter that distracts!