Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Clutter~


My daughter gave this card to me....

I am sharing something with you...and I ask myself, "Why?" The answer: I have absolutely no clue. Maybe I am just sending this out into the world and hoping that the faeries will sprinkle some of their magic dust on me for a simple cure! I have been trying to redeem myself. It all started when My dad became ill and we discovered that he had cancer and I was unable to keep up on the house. Well.... that is not fair of me to say. I have always been somewhat of a pack rat. Is there another form of animal I can use to describe that!? In my own defense, everything had its place, you know, a home. I guess you can say I was an organized pack rat. I have been trying to think when all of this got out-of-hand. I keep coming up with when my dad needed me. Don't take me wrong; I would do it again in a heart beat. However, I would do it differently, starting with spending even more time with my dad. I would have insisted that my children were with me always, and not at home or elsewhere. Whether they liked it or not, it would have been, "Too bad!" I think that if you were to ask them if they had to do it over again.... they would want it that way as well. Anyhow, it was a hard year, and I was numb for almost a year after that. Then hit with some more family crisis. I had to see a doctor for some help. All of this has been over several years, though nevertheless back to back. When you're already on your knees, its hard to have a clear head going into another endeavor. It can really take a toll on your spirit and emotions. Okay, enough of that. Back to my...issue.

I have seen enough Oprah shows to know I have a problem. It is very hard for me to throw things away. My son Rob is sweet in telling me that I, "just hold things close and dear to my heart. Everything has some meaning to me and it is hard for me to part with it." By the way, he is a lot like me in that way. Now, my daughter on the other hand, is a lot like her dad. I get a little harassed from these two. She has something for so long, and then when the time is up.... poof it is gone! Her sweatshirts for instance.... she allows herself to have just so many, and if she has gotten a new one, one must go, and it does! Believe me, it is very hard for me to watch this. She will have bags of her things or clothes ready to be taken to Good Will and as I go to the bag to see what she has put in there, I hear a voice "Step Away From the BAG!" She is so much better than I. How I wish I could just let go. Feel the Freedom.

So, I have gone out to Wal-Mart and bought three file boxes. I am going through all of my papers, recipes, everything, and giving it a home. I have thrown away ten brown grocery bags full of papers. It can be overwhelming and I to have to walk away from it often. I have told myself that I have to stay and do this for at least 30 minutes at a time. I am actually making a dent in this clutter. I can see a dim light. My daughter will walk by and say in a faint, hypnotizing voice, "Go to the light.... " She is my little cheerleader. I have started boxes for a "Yard Sale," that I will have when I am done with this, because not all of my clutter is paper, as my daughter explains. I believe this clutter is keeping me in a state of just being stuck in one place. I am ready to move forward. Grow!

So! Come on faeries, sprinkle the dust!

p.s. Cinda Cro and I have been discussing a possible "Pack Rat Anonymous" group out there. I will be the first to stand up and say "Hi, My name is Angela, and I AM a pack rat."

13 comments:

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    Fairy dust sprinkles just for you!
    I am what I have name a "fabric/craft pack rat" but a pack rat is a pack rat all the same and I to am sorting all my craft things and decluttering.
    I made a rule long ago on the main part of my house: If you don't use it in 6 months give it to someone who will. I had trouble taking things I loved to Good Will and letting them sell them for cash in THEIR pockets so I take my to womens shelters and homeless shelters as well as some things to the red cross so I feel good that my beloved treasures are GIVEN to someone who desperately needs them.
    I found myself letting go of very little fabric/craft items so I went and got 2 nice boxes and I'm putting lovely pieces of fabric in them that are big enough for small dresses for the great neices and will send it to my mother to make her great grand daughters little dresses as she is retired now and can not afford lots of fabrics. Then I am putting stuff that I keep in draws/totes in sets that will make a quilt or whatever and dating them if I have not made something with it within a specified amount of time then I must reevaluate and decide if I need to put a new group together that is more appealing or if I want to send this fabric to my mom so she can make a quilt.
    Angela come up with your plan, one you can be comfy with, then sip some tea, play some music, and make some piles of the things you need to let go of and sprinkle fairy dust on them as you dance around them in a blessing dance and take them somewhere where and donate them to someone who is in dire need of your treasures then go away singing a happy tune knowing your treasures will be used and loved.

    The fairy's are watching over you,
    Sheila

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  2. AhhhhhHHH Yes! *sigh* I am a PACK RAT! I am making some headway too with my Spring Cleaning brain. Please wish me LUCK because I am still keeping too much! Good Luck Angela and fellow pack ratters! xo, Cinda ps.Lets clear at least one corner or one drawer today! Onward Pack Rats!

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  3. My name is Wanda, and I am a recovering Pack Rat. I've been throwing away for almost a year now. I still have tons, but there is something about those plastic bins at Walmart that make it easier to keep what we can't part with. Go Angela...I'll join the club.
    Love Ya

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  4. You can count me in that group too!! I like to keep things too, but I think I am getting better with all the moves. I'm telling myself that I'm going to be good and organized in our new house in a few months!

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  5. Hi my name is Sophie and I am a pack rat.

    ...I've openend your blog on this post a while ago. But before i read it I had dinner, watched some tv and wrote a post on my blog. Then I turned to see what you had written..well if your read my post you'll know what I've thought.

    I'm sprinkling some fairy dust for you and hope you will blow some my way :)

    XO Sophie

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  6. LOL!
    My name is Paiger and I am a packrat!
    I'm the daughter of a packrat who grew up to marry a packrat.

    I do pretty good at sending the coats, clothes, furniture & cooking supplies to Goodwill & the women's shelter... but I have weakness for sentimental items & it seems I find sentiments in all forms... everything from scrap pieces of paper doodled on by a child to rocks;) found while walking with my DH.

    May the fairies bless you with all that you ask & some!

    P&L

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  7. i have been a bit absent from the blog world for a few weeks because i've been focused on purging, cleaning, detoxifying, organizing, painting and redecorating my studio.

    i used to be a pack rat. i used to hold onto things out of pure memories, even if they were negative ones. i realized that holding onto these things in the physical meant i was holding onto them in the emotional.

    so now, i consider it very ceremonial to throw things away that do not serve me anymore or that just create unecessary clutter in my life. i tell you it is so FREEING. it is a total "i am woman, hear me roar" moment.

    a book that helped me was "My Home as a Sanctuary" by Josephine Collins. you should check it out. it is so inspiring...

    i am so proud of you for acknowledging this and for being open to looking deeper as to what clutter means in your life.

    you are a beautiful person with a big heart.

    love love love.

    ps. i just posted pics of my new studio on my bloggie!

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  8. It is so encouraging to know there are so many of us who are "organizationally challeneged"! I find this is most true with creative types! In our defense however, there is clutter, then there is 'organized clutter'. I've heard it said that if you know which pile that "something" is, then you are organized. If you have no clue...then...well...time to start tossing.

    Love the cartoon! I can SO identify. And I too will add my name to the list of pack rats. I am not a general all over pack rat, but rather situationally a pack rat. When it comes to potential craft items...I'm a goner. If it is a cool baggie filled with "possibilities" or potential artistics "what ifs"..then I'm a prime candidate to join your pack rats anonymous group!

    Thanks for breaking the silence for the rest of us! ;-)

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  9. **~~**~~~** (sprinkle) **~~~**~~*

    Some sprinkly fairy dust for you :)

    I read about this technique: for every new item you acquire, toss/give something you currently have away.

    Any item can always be used by someone else. I like to give all my gently used items to Humane Society Thrift stores to help raise money for shelter animals. My items get a loving new home, and maybe an animal in need will get one too.

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  10. Hi...My name is Vicci...and I am a bigger pack-rat! I am constantly trying to get rid of things...but it never ends!

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  11. Memories....
    You hold a tattered sweat-shirt and feel the love, the moment.....
    I'm with you girl.
    Packrat? Trackback?

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  12. You GO, girl! Wow, that's a hard task to tackle. I had the same problem. I had trouble throwing out an old pair of shoes because they had been to England, Texas, New Mexico, Cape Cod, etc, with me. I have the problem of attributing living emotions to inanimate objects. I also had the problem of looking at things and going, "I know I'll need that knob some day!" so I'd keep it.

    I once dated a guy who gave me this rule - he was helping me purge my room after college: if you haven't picked it up and actually used it in a year? It's gone. I lived PRETTY close to that rule for a long time. When my first son arrived in 2000 (and we lived in a sardine can apartment), there was no choice. If it wasn't currently helping me to function, it was gone. It was very freeing. Until all of the grownup clutter was replaced with kid clutter.

    But I bless you with the strength to do this and to incorporate a bit more of your daughter's attitude into your life. But hold on to a few dear things. I have purged a few things that I have later kicked myself for!

    Good luck!
    Lynette

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  13. you must have inherited it from your grandma garcia!

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