Maribeth and Lynnette (I think) have recently read/heard about/skimmed the recent book about decluttering/cleaning out. I would tell you the name of the book, but I'm not really sure the name of it, and I certainly would hate giving you the wrong information. Basically what I've gleaned from their comments about the book is this: to clean out/declutter your house/living space/life, first you get all that you have of something, and go through it piece by piece, asking yourself, "Does this bring me joy?" If it doesn't, then get rid of it. That might not be the actual message the author is trying to convey, and there is certainly more to it than that, but since I prefer simple, easy to follow messages, that's what I'm going with.
So today I decided to clear out my closet. I think you're supposed to actually go with a category (like clothing) and get everything that falls in that category, but I decided to buck the system and go with a space. Like my closet. So I unloaded everything in my closet onto my bed, the thought being that I would go through all my clothes (and this is to include all your clothes from every nook and cranny of your home). I deposited everything onto my bed, which ended up looking like this:
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Maggie Cat could have been included in the process,
but she does bring me joy, so she was a keeper. |
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| What a cleaned out closet looks like. |
At first, it was a little bit worrisome. I would pick up an article of clothing, and consider it. Some were easy to discard. Not only did it not bring me joy, it actually made me feel dumpy/yucky wearing it. Some were worth considering, mainly because they had tags still hanging on them - okay, so they were Old Navy/Target on-sale tags, but still tagged. Some were worth considering because I "might need them one day and/or might fit into them one day." At first, I would put some to the side, but after awhile I ended up putting those in the discard pile, too. After a while, I realized that it was time to keep those things I actually currently use and get rid of the rest. Once I got through the hanging clothes, I went through the rest of the things on the bed that also once resided in the closet. Once the bed was clean, I went through all my bureau drawers and did the same thing. Once I was finished, I had five sacks and one box of things that went straight to Goodwill. Did I think about what was in the sacks? Maybe once - and it wasn't even a thought of regret. It was almost a thought of relief.
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The clothes I kept. When your job consists of doing this and that,
you really don't need a lot of fancy duds ... |
At the end of this task, it was nice to know that what I had left would actually be used. And besides, if I ever truly do need/fit into something I don't currently have, I believe there are stores that might have just what I need!!
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Thankful today for: closet cleanout; MB's help in decisions and taking a few things; Everley time
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