Mental Clutter =Physical Clutter

We all have some form of clutter,don't we? Physical household clutter,body clutter (ie weight),or mental clutter. My goal is to rid myself of all clutter possible. It may take months,it may take years. But that is my ongoing goal. I need to free up my surroundings,as well as my physical and emotional being. ( Remember I alluded to making the home I want in a previous post? This is what I was referring to). I believe that our physical surroundings reflect our inner self. If we are not comfortable and happy,how can our homes be? Or our bodies?

This is something that I have been reading about and mulling over for quite awhile now. Controlling anxiety, minimalism,zen habits,etc. It's been very eye opening....what Oprah would call an "a-ha moment." I love those!

I cannot speak for anyone else,of course. I can only speak for me.I am tired. I am tired of being fat,being anxious,or looking around and wishing for something else. Not a different house,but a different home. It's not bad by any means,but it doesn't reflect what I really want it to be. 

I am grateful that Rick did not inherit his mother's hoarding gene. She should've been on the Hoarders show. It took us three weeks to clean out her tiny apartment after she passed-once we made pathways to get around. I couldn't live like that. Nor do I want a museum for a home. It will get dirty.It will get messy living with two dogs,two cats,and three males. Rick has a hard time remembering to put things away,and when I try to do it for him,he says he will take care of it,because if I put it away,he won't know where it is. Which is fine,except he will take forever to put something away,and when he does,he doesn't remember where he put it anyway (part of the TBI). So,I do have to be mindful of that situation. However,I do want a home that is clean enough for folks to come into and I don't feel like I owe them explanations"Oh,we are going to move this and do this,but we haven't done it yet,"etc.,etc. 

Since my down days have been pretty bad the last few months,and I probably should just go to the Dr to either up my dosage or see someone one on one,I am determined to try and do it myself. I have been reading. I have been following blogs ( among them,two great ones, Be More With Less and Zen Habits,which I have links to on the right).

Now,if you enter my home,right now it's not bad. Let's face it-there is nothing to spur one on to make a good cleaning than relatives who have never been to your home. Our mud room is all cleaned up. I washed walls (amazing how if you see dog slobber often enough that you don't see it anymore!). I was further inspired by my Dear Friend Michelle's closet-though I had it in mind to organize mine,seeing hers spurned me on. I was able to get rid of 7 photo albums that were taking up space,and got rid of photos of things that I just didn't need (why did I take 5 photos of the same damn statue kind of thing). I got the photos down to three photo boxes. I still need to weed through my clothes,though.  At least I have started. A bit everyday adds up.

The big room to do was our bedroom. I usually just close the door when company comes over.  It was an embarrassment. In all honesty,most of the stuff is Rick's. He has backpacks,clothes,a dry vac,etc...again,things that I say I will take care of and he gets annoyed. I finally convinced him that I had to wash the walls and move his stuff. Here are a couple of photos of the lovely pile that was strewn across his side of the bedroom:

I took all the crap,shit,stuff,junk,whatever you call it,and piled it on the bed. You can see on the left a white shelf item. That is going to hang over our computer,and I had put that and two other shelves in the bedroom until they got hung. I then changed my mind and put them in the rooms they are going to be hung in.

Here is the back side of the pile. The big bear is mine,it was a gift from Zach. You can see a bit into Rick's closet in the back of the photo on the right.


Rick did finally go through everything and put them away. I don't have a photo of our bedroom after,but it is nice and tidy and I have been working to keep it that way. I am also going to paint it. It needs it.

It's so much nicer coming into the bedroom now. I want my whole house to be a cozy space where one feels they are enveloped by happiness and contentment.

I did help Zach clean out his closet and we had two garbage bags full of clothes that we donated to Planet Aid.

This is going to be an interesting journey. Anyone else out there going through the same thing?