A Looooong Journey

Little did I know that a little search would lead me down the path I'm currently on.

Many months ago, I did an internet search for cleaning because I wanted an easier/simple cleaning schedule. I found a single blog. I found it so entertaining, I started reading from the beginning. That led to (eventually) a total of 5 organizing/cleaning blogs that I subscribe to that, yes, I have read from the beginning. All 4 are fun to read from ladies that I would love to meet. One usually has me in stitches....LOVE her humor. :-)

I discovered through those blogs that it is easier to clean clear spaces that are sorted and organized than it is to clean junk. Gotcha. So.....that pushed back the cleaning schedule (still not sorted...oops) and started in on phase 1 of......yeah, who knows how many phases. Time to organize. While I was organizing, I started to get rid of some things that I either 1) Didn't REALLY like to begin with so why sort them and/or 2) Didn't want to sort them/organize them.

Then I innocently went to our local library in search of free organizing books. I have bought books before, got them home, just to discover they weren't for me. Sooooo....borrow first and then if I like them ALOT, then I can buy them. Yeah....little did I know I would be "introduced" to an author that would turn our lives another direction and make my current path a little clearer. Who? A gentleman by the name of Brooks Palmer. He wrote a book that I could not put down. I have tried for YEARS to de-clutter and have.....some. Something clicked. I suddenly realized it was okay to toss stuff....I'm keeping the memory, but don't have to keep the {insert item}. I happen to be a sentimental type...the one that remembers (for the most part) where {insert item} came from. That, very irritatingly at times, makes it rather difficult when it comes to getting rid of stuff. Well, I can't get rid of the vase because our friend brought it back especially for us. *sigh Because of that one trait, we I have kept more than I actually want, but hard to get rid of. Somehow with that book, it was okay to donate that hideous interesting sweater vest mom gave me. Does she still love me? Yes. Do I still love her? Yes. I kept it for one excuse reason or another, but....it's now gone. Pppfffeeeeewww


That phase has been going along nicely....lots of bags of clothes to the bins for donation; garage sale; classifieds to sell some, etc. I went through a period of "THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRASH IT ALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (screamy bits are intentional since that's what I felt) Then we did our garage sale and I came back down to earth. Things are now on the classifieds (overseas at the moment so no Craigslist, etc.) or to be taken to a thrift shop or two (no Goodwill either :-( ).

Then................along came my next blog. Not sure exactly HOW I came to finding it/start reading it, but it has altered my thinking yet again.

Every time I mentioned de-cluttering to someone it would be with a sigh and an explanation: "I'm a wanna-be minimalist that was raised by a pack rat." I believed that that whole living with nothing or next to it was pretty much impossible for me. Then along came the current-catching-up-on-reading-blog...www.becomingminimalist.com Yeah.....TOTALLY altered my thinking. How? I've discovered that a minimalist doesn't mean a bed in a room with boring white walls and that's it. Au contraire my friend. It means to live with what you need and love and that's it. A LOT different from the nothing-in-a-room idea I had. Ahhhhhh that....maybe. So....I we are now on the way to becoming minimalists. I thought it would be just me, but hubby is totally on board! Sooooo much easier. :-) Wish me us luck :-)