| Contents may have shifted during flight. Soon it will be the first day of spring. Or, as it’s called in Canada, the middle of winter. Traditionally it brings a ritual biological imperative – spring cleaning – an unconscious, collective movement, literally. If you have lived on this planet as an adult for more than two decades, then it is highly probable that you may have quite the accumulation. Nowadays people are bit more aware of how much stuff they have, because it is beginning to be a bit of a social stigma if you have a lot of stuff. Over the years “organized” seems to be my most defining characteristic, like I was a minor celebrity with this one claim to fame. I am rarely asked about my knowledge of eighteenth century Hungarian royalty. Which, frankly, is a shame. Clutter makes us crazy and causes free-floating anxiety (which someone said was the only thing floating around free anymore). But for many of us, we might as well have been told to march outside and hang a new garage door, rather than discard anything. Our rooms (and storage) should look like we just stepped out for Mexican food and will be back to our lovely, organized life momentarily. Okay, I can hear the chortling now…you don’t like Mexican food, so that’s not gonna happen. Besides, we don’t want to be one of those houses where a friend walks in off the street and says, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I seem to be in somebody’s basement!” We can get so used to certain luxuries that we start to think they are necessities, but when we have to forgo them, we often come to see that we don’t need them after all. There’s a big difference between needing things and wanting things. But what I beleive is called for now, in a much deeper way, is to ask ourselves what it really means to live a life that is not defined by things. Let’s call it “smalling up.” Smalling up is figuring out what you really need to feel contented and grounded. For example, I have a friend who drives an old beat-up, raggedy car, but she will scrimp and save to buy a piece of art because art is what really matters to her. She smalled up. What matters is whether it’s just enough (and not too much) for us. We must determine our own list of “must-haves”, then narrow our stuff down to match it. Feeling a constant urge to upgrade our gadgets and acquire the latest models deprives us of the rich experience of being content with what we have and tuning into the present moments of our lives. By simply entertaining the idea that what we have is enough, we begin to quiet thoughts that lead to the pursuit of the extraneous and wasteful. In that sense, it’s just as important to continue defining who we are, as to continue eliminating who we are not. |
| THE 6 R’S REDUCE waste REPAIR rather than replace REFILL where you can REDUCE the amount of stuff that you buy REFUSE extra packaging or any packaging RECALIBRATE expectations |
| The first step in the de-cluttering process is to wear loose, comfortable pants that do not have an opinion on your value as a human being. Secondly, the best way to get rid of things you don’t need is to get rid of things you don’t need. I know, I know, you’d rather stick needles into your eyes. Dispose or donate anything that is cloned or used. For instance, is there a new blender, but you keep the old one just in case you think you might need it someday? Is there pottery going back to the Roman Conquest? Or why do you still have the bundt pan that emerges from the cupboard once a year to ruin a perfectly good cake. Think of that Japanese decluttering trend where you hold each thing you own and throw it out if it doesn’t give you joy. Just not the vegetables and heating bill. Finally, if you can pass the job onto someone else, I’d recommend it. I mean, once you start overachieving, people expect things from you. |
| QUESTIONS TO ASK: Does this item support current values and priorities? Does this item fit in with the vision for my ideal home? Could this item be useful/helpful for another person? Would I buy this item for full price today? Would it impact my daily life not to have this item? Is this item really worth the space it’s taking up? Is this item adding value to my life? |
| All in all, de-cluttering is an excellent investment of your time and some elbow grease, along with a few well-chosen containers, so at the end you can be happy in the knowledge that the day had been a day of purpose. |
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