"Life is just too short to fold a bra" -- Is cleanliness next to Godliness?

[Manluvsex 13731]

Note: I apologize in advance for my long cluttered preamble, and invite you to jump to the article at the end if you find yourself lost under my jumble of ideas.

 

Spring....ah the warmth of sunshine on my back; the end of the long winter hibernation indoors; the shedding of parka, scarves, mitts, toques and Baffin boots; the first glimpse of women's legs, waists and breasts, the chirping of the birdies in the trees, the budding of all things colourful; and ....the thoughts of uncluttering our lives and homes.

 

These guilty thoughts about spring cleaning usually hit me about now, as I look around at the clutter and accumulation of unused and unwanted things of every shape and form that surround me everywhere I look in my home. Somehow they do not bother so much over the cold dark winter.

 

No, I am not a hoarder, but I admit to being messy. I also tend to indulge in a few too many deals, too great to pass up on. So I slowly add to my collection of useful, but unused things by ways of two of my obsessions: garage sales and Kijiji. Invariably, these 'amazing deals' eventually migrate from upstairs to the "museum" in the basement waiting..and waiting....to be put out to the curb, resold at a garage sale or to be given away to 'Sally Anne'.

 

I am retiring next year and the plan is to sell the house soon after and downsize to a small apartment. But the first step is to get rid of all that excess baggage, which procrastinator as I am, I keep putting off from one weekend to the next. The only solution I see is the gathering of a bunch of family and friends supplied with industrial quantities of pizza and beer, a huge dumpster, and very dark sunglasses so that I do not get the idea to move anything back indoors.

 

When I move into my little place, I would ideally like to start from scratch and only surround myself with a minimum amount of things I really need and love. But will all this anti-materialist idealism and simplification of my life make me a better person?

 

The article below from the UK tries to answer this philosophical question. It discusses eastern and western views on this and how the true origins of clutter is our consumer society. I would, of course, be interested your views on this messy subject!!!

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/06/decluttering-cant-save-us-from-the-consumerist-mess-weve-made

[Midnite-Energies 110563]

It's amazing how much "stuff" we gather and hang on to some for negative reasons (I'll explain) and some just because it's easier to store then deal with.

 

There is that stuff we have attached something to. Clothes or objects that remind us of something or someone or just something we've always wished for or "should"ed ourselves with. IE: I'm saving this camera because I should really take more pics or I should save it in case I need it. In these cases it's best to figure out what our attachment is and then deal with that so we can deal with the stuff. Is it an important attachment or unimportant. Did it change? Do i really need it? This involves honesty and can sometimes be difficult.

 

Then there is all the stuff you just tucked away and forgot about because it was easier at the time then dealing with it. With this stuff, I like to attack it with a goal in mind. Donating to shelters or organizations is a perfect example. They are always in need and usually the hoarded stuff is still great and useful....to someone else.

 

As you said, you should only have things you love around you and that are useful. If you have stuff you haven't used in over a year or more, you don't really need it. This is also a good time to determine what you might be able to buy that is multi purpose. I love watching shows or reading articles on people living in tiny houses and how everything has multi purposes.

 

I love de-cluttering and being more minimalist as it allows a fresh start, a cleaning or energy and a chance to get to know yourself gain/better to know what's important and what's not. Your idea about having others help is great because they don't have attachments to any of your stuff (although they may find some and better their stuff than yours).

 

Good luck with everything! Just remember, when you're done and you're out and about, you have to keep yourself in check before you buy that next great deal by asking yourself honestly if you really need it or if it will add to your life.