Well, here it is! My very own Joyful Jessie avatar.
Notice that my golden (dirty) blonde hair is swept back in a clip because I have dishes to do and it gets in my way. Normally I’d be wearing an apron because the water from my kitchen faucet always drenches the front of me. I demonstrate my style by wearing stripes and the only tall boots I have ever owned, that are getting old – and I’m not quite sure if they are even in style anymore. I’d be wearing a knit scarf, but I never finish my knitting projects, so I’m wearing one I got as a hand-me-up from my little sister. I’m trying to look busy, but I’m not very organized. How does this datebook/planner work? What’s a list?
Psst! That is not actually my kitchen that I’m standing in. You can tell because,
- There are fresh flowers in a vase,
- The counters and floor are clean,
- Where are the dirty dishes?!
- I’ve never cooked a turkey before – and probably never will!
And now, the results of an interesting poll that I’d been wanting to post – until I lost the book it was in for a couple of weeks.
From The New Messies Manual, by Sandra Feltion:
How often do Americans change the sheets on their beds?
- Less than once a month – 2%
I read this question to my husband to see what he’d guess, because he is the trivia king. I don’t want to tell you his guess, or our actual answer, because it’s like bearing a dirty little secret. Let’s just say we are not in the majority.
How often do you change your sheets?
[polldaddy poll="5112184"]
How do I even blog under these conditions?!
It is time to begin my Clutter Kick for the year of 2010. I decided on Clutter Kicking instead of Clutter Busting, because it sounds fresh and new to me, and I need that feeling to get going.
Like many others, I’ve searched for answers in the past, but haven’t yet been able to implement them in my life. For instance, the FlyLady method asks you to “shine your sink every night” and I have NEVER been able to accomplish that. Perhaps if I come a this from different angles, I’ll finally be able to do that. Also, I’ve gone onto various websites devoted to organizing and they tend to make my throat squeeze up and give me anxiety. That isn’t helpful in getting my house in order! There is something deeper within me that I need to address.
So, for the rest of 2010, I’m going to explore Clutter Kicking ideas from Flylady.net, Clutterers Anonymous, Messies Anonymous, and wherever else I find useful ideas.
Today, I’m reading and pondering the ideas found in the first two brochures from my CLA kit that I received months ago.
The first idea that CLA presents is that the “dis-ease” of excessive cluttering is threefold – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Instead of giving organizing advice, they focus on providing support for facing the underlying causes of the self-destructive behaviors of cluttering. Like in AA meetings, when you go to CLA meetings, each person introduces him or herself with the phrase,
“Hi, my name is ____________________ and I’m a clutterer.”
Here are the Three Components of Cluttering, paraphrased from CLA’s Welcome brochure:
- Physical: The behaviors that result in the stacks, piles, and objects that fill our homes, cars, and workplaces.
- Emotional: The fog we create in our heads – resentments, unfinished thoughts, emotional baggage, daydreams, worries about the future, regrets about the past. With our minds in a constant spin, we lose today because our time is spent living in yesterday and tomorrow.
- Spirtitual: The deep emptiness we feel inside – that we compulsively try to fill by clinging to useless objects, nonproductive ideas, meaningless activities, and unstatisfying relationships.
Those who join a CLA group make a Responsibility Pledge:
I pledge to stretch out my hand and heart to those seeking help from our compulsion. Together we will ensure that CLA is here for us and all those who follow in our footsteps. And for this I am responsible.
I like that! I know that when my family pulled together to help my mother this past Christmas and over the summer, I felt a deep empathy for those who are going through this without help or understanding. I am not a hoarder, but my clutter interferes with my happiness and serenety – and my ability to have people over! Whenever I make an improvement, I want to share my experience with others who might find it helpful.
So here I am! I’ll be sharing my successes and explorations in de-cluttering for the rest of 2010 and beyond.
(***Note: When this was originally posted, it had 3 comments. Unfortunately, all comments have been lost.)
