What is the deal with flat surfaces becoming collection spaces? The more I de-clutter, the more I realize that every inch of flat surface area in my home is covered with stuff – books, hats, papers, flashlights – a variety of items, most of which don’t have a home. I have learned on this journey that if an item doesn’t have a place to call home within my home, it doesn’t get to stay. Things that don’t have a place get left on nightstands, dressers, coffee tables, kitchen tables, counters, etc., and they become the most obnoxious clutter in the home.
I have ignored the clutter on my dresser for about a year. I can tell you that ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. In fact, in the case of my dresser, it actually makes the problem worse – the piles grow! I decided over the weekend, while my husband was smoking beef on his new smoker, to tackle the dresser. Most of the big items were mine, but many of the smaller items were his, and I had no clue where to put them – like the duck call – where does one keep a duck call? I started by pulling off all of the big stuff and sorting it as I went – trash, donate, keep, but this time I added a pile I called keep, but not here. Once I got down to the smaller stuff, I did what I could, then called my husband in to help me clear his stuff. I dusted the dresser off, then went about placing the items I wanted to stay there back in an organized fashion. Some items went in the donation box, a few items went to the trash, and a purse or two got tossed into to the top of my closet. As I was tossing those purses on the pile of purses already in the top of my closet (I am not a purse person, I don’t even know why I have so many!), I thought to myself, “You’re going to have to deal with this mess soon!” I knew that I was just adding to a clutter pile I would have to deal with later, but that works for me. I can compartmentalize, deal with what I can in the now, and save the rest for another day. It has helped me get through. All told, I removed 11 scarves, 2 bras, 1 hat, 1 head wrap, 1 candle, 1 neck pillow, 2 jars, 1 tote bag, and 10 hair sticks for a total of 30 items. Now, when I walk into my bedroom, rather than avoiding looking at it, I am greeted by a clean space.
Next, I started on this gray shelf I have in between my living room and kitchen. It is a space I never really organized. I brought the shelf into my home, I put some items there intentionally, then I thew some items on it so it didn’t look empty, and then my family and I have thrown a dozen or more items on top of it – mostly homeless items. I began with the food cubby, filled with chips that I bought that no one liked. In removing those, I found a Hostess Cupcake my son thought he lost. I am guessing he ate it, but didn’t count that as an item removed on my journey! Next, I started sorting through the vitamin-turned-medicine basket. Last year, after reading Dr. Colbert’s book, Healthy Gut Zone, I began collecting vitamins. It started with probiotics, and then daily vitamin packs, and kids chewables, and iron pills, and fiber…and then we began putting medicine in the vitamin basket. I am not sure how that started, because we do have another space for medicine, but maybe it was too far away. I found allergy pills, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and some prescribed medicines among the Child Calm and Tums. First, I removed 6 bottles of expired or almost expired vitamins and 19 vitamin packs. I am sure that combined, I had spent over $100 on these items. As I tossed them into the garbage, I actually envisioned throwing a $100 dollar bill in the garbage – something no one would ever do. But it opened my eyes to the habit I have of becoming obsessed with things and going overboard. I really believed when I purchased those vitamins that I was going to consume every last one. But I didn’t, and as I stood there looking at the half full bottles, they begged the question, “Why didn’t you take them?”The easy answer is that life got busy, I got side-tracked, and then I just forgot about them. But the more true answer is that I became obsessed with ridding myself of these terrible ailments in my body, and while I did see some dramatic, positive improvements, I stopped taking care of myself somewhere around the middle of tax season last year, and I have not gotten back to that. It isn’t the vitamins or the money that was staring back at me from that trash can, it was the realization that I stopped taking care of myself because work got busy, then life got busy, and then I became consumed by the pain of a chronic ailment and I have failed to maintain any aspect of my life.
Next, I opened my smell-good cabinet door. It was filled with essential oils, wax warmers and candles; all items that would make my home smell good, inviting, and provide a relaxing ambiance. However, they were doing none of that stuffed in this cupboard. I pulled out the 4 bottles of essential oils that I knew my soap-making sister would use and bagged them up to give to her. I put 3 wax melts in a bag to take to my office to use there, and I placed 6 wax melts in the donation pile (don’t worry, they weren’t from Crystal’s Candle Co. or Scentsy!). I remember I recently read on a friend’s social media page that candles were made to be enjoyed, so I resolved to burn the ones I have, and to use these melts to make my house smell good when I enter it.
All told, I removed an additional 31 items from this shelf, including a Kung Fu Panda movie still in the shrink wrap, a basket used to collect chicken eggs, 1 rubber band ball, a candy dispenser, a really cool wedding invitation, 6 notebooks and a handful of miscellaneous items. I don’t have an after photo because I have not decided yet that I want to keep this shelf where it is. My daughter has expressed a desire to have it in her room, and it really has just become a drop zone. I still have some items on the top that I am looking for homes for. But I did fill my home with the scent of the ocean, and my office smelled of balsam wood and pine from a lovely candle I burned today.
I also gave my sister a gallon jar of coconut oil and an espresso machine that had been taking up space on my counter. With those items, and the 437 I had previously removed, I am over the halfway mark with a grand total of 538. I still have not touched my kitchen, my pantry, my second bathroom, my hall closets, the rest of my bedroom or my laundry room. I have no doubt that I am going to reach 1000 things. But more importantly, I am also remembering that self-care is not selfish and that I want to feel good from the inside out.
Uncommonly Common Mom 