Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Decluttering My Life

My sister put her house on the market a few weeks ago. I don't envy her life at all right now. They had their house decluttered and cleaned and polished. Then, they had it staged by someone their realtor recommended. They put nearly everything away. Rather than a pile of mail on their counter, they have a bowl of lemons. No dish drying rack or sponge out, but a beautifully bottled soap on a beautiful decorative tray stands next to the sink. The kitchen table has a bouquet of flowers. The coffee table holds only a candle. From the main living spaces to the bedrooms to the bathrooms to the kids' rooms, everything is minimalist, clean, and ready to present itself.

It's gorgeous and beautiful, and although my sister admitted that it's nice to have things looking so streamlined and polished, it's also an exhausting way to live, and just once, she'd like to leave the baby bottles to dry on a dish rack. Now that they've sold the house, they're relieved to go back to living like normal (even with the packing and prepping for a move).

Although we are NOT planning on moving, there's something very inspiring about getting rid of clutter, especially when I have two kids who seem to LOVE clutter. We've been working on the girls' bedrooms. They can't seem to keep them clean, and quite honestly, I think it's because they just have too much stuff that they don't know what to do with. We purged three full boxes of things they don't need and at least five garbage bags full of trash, and those rooms are still full.

And quite honestly, as much as I'm encouraging the girls to simplify and purge, I'm not setting the best example. I've joked with people about how if a zombie apocalypse happens, my car will be able to keep us alive with what I can keep there, neatly packed in my trunk (well, mostly neatly). When Madison's dance teacher forgets a straw or fork for her dinner, I'm able to provide. I like to be prepared.

Yet, I can take some steps towards, while not becoming, a minimalist. I can streamline the car kit. I can make sure that what we're keeping, and what I keep stocked, is something we actually need and will use, that it's in good shape, and that it has a home, where it fits and we can find it.

I can declutter my phone, my fridge, my DVR watch list, my car, and my bookcases. I can declutter clothes I don't fit into.

I will never be able to go full on Kondo, full on minimalist, or have my house looking ready to sell at all times, but there's something to be said for a push to get the clutter out.
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