Little things and Clutter

It's been a long time since I last posted in my blog. Our adoption this past year and a half has felt a bit like a new moon orbiting our earth and pulling at the tides. Everything changed. So many things have been put aside and put on hold while we have adjusted as a family and have loved on our new son. Which may explain the clutter in my home.

I read the quote this week "Clutter is just delayed decisions". The truth of that statement resonated with me. I am surrounded by delayed decisions in my home. I began taking pictures of the cluttered areas in my home, in order to have a better idea of a "before" and "after". Just like seeing pictures of myself lets me track if my weight has gone up or down, seeing these photos of my home has been a moment of truth. I can walk past it and stop seeing it, but somehow viewing that photo I just took makes me pause and then want to take action.

I've wanted to paint my bedroom for a few years now, but the clutter has held me back. It felt too difficult to move everything and deal with the "stuff". Our bedroom carpet also needs replaced, but the thought of moving and sorting through "stuff" has kept me borderline content with our matted forest green flooring. Delayed decisions, delayed actions and delayed dreams to a certain extent.

But this week I began to slowly declutter with an online community of support. And as I watch them part with things-- some of value, some just junk, it makes me braver to deal with my stuff. Even the stuff that once belonged to people who are now deceased. Oh the guilt and obligations that can reach beyond the grave!!!!!! Keep it! Store it! Treasure it! Pass it on! Ugh. I may choose cremation when I pass and just ask for a discount rate that will allow my loved ones to throw in extra stuff with me into the oven and spare my children from dealing with my junk. Instead of a visitation, maybe we could just caravan truckloads of my crap to the cremation facility. But I digress.

It's freeing to let things go. It feels a little rebellious. It's also hopefully going to shed a little light on a decision yet to be made---It's going to allow me to discern if we have truly outgrown our home as a family of 6, or if we simply need fewer things to allow more living to take place. That's the real test this month. So, I'm going through my linens. I threw away a box of tapioca from 2012 and a spatula that the mixer tried to eat. Looking forward to more purging!