Yes, this is me. No, I hadn’t been drinking. My nose is red from the cold, damp air in the garage I was working in late last week. Just had to share the picture, since I find it funny what you come across while decluttering….like yellowed snippets of newspaper listing old television channels–something very vital to someone not so long ago. I have to admit I did pause before I threw it away because of the clear instructions not to do so scrawled across the top.
(My daughter walked into the room and gasped when she saw me posting that picture. “Mom! That is a horrible picture of you!….Well, I guess it is okay. You are supposed to look super tired when you are working.”….Thanks, Honey.)
The family that I was working for has gone through a lot of transition….and where there is transition, there is clutter. In the past two years, this family has lost an elderly parent, and sent their last child off to college. I was so honored that they called me to help with all the of things that were pushed aside & piled in piles in the wake of that wave of change. The tide had settled just a bit, and all of the extra STUFF was weighing on them in a big way.
It is hard to decide what to do with some of the items that you come across in these situations (for instance, the full container of cellophane obviously from the 1950’s with its cool packaging) and that is why it is a good practice to have a decluttering buddy with you as you sort things out (and an additional furry one is extra helpful). A person who is outside of your situation, either a professional organizer or close friend unafraid to be honest with you, can help you remove the emotion from the items you are sorting, and allow you see them objectively. The percentage of things you will end up keeping will be greatly reduced, and the things that do stay will have purpose and meaning to you.
And that means that they are NOT clutter! HOORAY!
