The restraints are off!!
No Goals or No Resolutions or No Guidelines or No Anything
that speaks of a yearly intention.
BUT
I have plowed ahead regardless - one connected link at a time in "making space"
just like I always seem to do every single January.
And yes,
all the actions were curiously linked.
It started with a walk-in closet. This closet holds 'stuff' - paint, rags, wrapping paper, Christmas decorations, cleaning supplies, tools ... it is a catch-all closet. When the door is closed - it is OK. When the door is open - it is not. When I decorated for Christmas I had to practically empty the closet to get to the right boxes. Same struggle when I needed wrapping paper. Ugly! God forbid I should need a hammer or a nail. When Christmas stuff returned to storage - I did a big clean out. Now I can walk into the closet. Fancy that! I can actually walk into a walk-in closet!!
The closet clean-out produced two bags of donations. My first thought - two bags - not enough to make the trip to Good Will, so I easily created a few more bags from my "guest/yarn/book/hobby room."
BUT ... while tootling around in the "guest/yarn/book/hobby room" for donations ... I remembered a problem that needed my attention. My knitting notions and needles were in total disarray after 9 months of marathon Christmas knitting. The disarray was so bad I was forced to buy several circular knitting needles in sizes that I already owned but could not find. *sigh* Now I have an organized knitting notions bag - an actual tote size bag. (Yes, I have a knitting notions problem.) And finally, all the knitting needles are back in their 'homes' ready for the next project.
And speaking of the 'next project,' after wandering around in my knitting supplies, I pulled out all the knitting projects that I set aside to get Christmas projects completed. Yep! I did a little line up of things that needed finishing.
Finally I was done. 'Stop looking at stuff' I cautioned myself. It never ends. Best to do something that really need doing ... like bill paying.
Ha! I am so naive.
I set myself to working on bills. Of course, my wandering eyes drifted towards the 5 inches of filing that I put off for months. At the same time, I remembered that I needed to find a specific proof of warrantee that my previous searches didn't turn up. Filing followed bill paying. And a search for a specific paper followed filing.
Filing done! Warrantee info found.
Since I am not a fan of filing, I decided to distract myself with a cup of hot tea. (Seriously, a cup of tea ... where could that lead, right?)
See, I am a coffee drinker, but for some reason I have boxes and boxes of different kinds of tea. And much of it never gets consumed because most teas upset my reflux. (Bet you know where this is going ... ). So with a ton of tea taking up space - most of which I cannot drink - I decided to thin it out. I made several cups of tea to taste, and I pitched near 100 tea bags in the trash. I still have a life time supply of tea, but it felt good to get rid of the stuff I couldn't swallow.
NOW I am done!!
(Does anyone believe that?)
My knitting activities will probably lead to a much needed reduction in knitting patterns and books. My tea tasting adventures will definitely lead to a much needed clean out of my messy pantry. Who knows where this 'clean out fever' will connect to next.
January always seems to trigger this fever in me. List or no list - ironically downsizing and cleaning out usually makes an appearance in my New Year. This year it popped up spontaneously without a set of New Year goals. It felt wonderful to just do what was in front of me rather than what was on goals list. All that was needed was the mojo to do it!
But here is the really satisfying thing.
If the mojo goes away - oh well.
I got a lot done while it was here.
It will return.
It always does!
Meanwhile
"Clean Out January" - a very satisfying thing to do!!
A lovely way to begin the New Year!
10 comments:
Well done. I have some purging to do here as well. However, no matter how much I do, it always fills up again.
I spent yesterday “putting away Christmas“ . . .
Some may think, what’s the big deal with that??
Well . . . my goal was to eliminate, get rid of some stuff!
Must have a problem.
Everything organized, ”boxed/containered” up neat as a pin.
One small box to go to Goodwill!
I seriously have a problem downsizing my Christmas/Holiday things!
I think 2020 December, I will just keep the boxes/containers right where they are in the walk in attic.
Not open one thing . . .
And sit back, watch the snow fall, listen to music, read a book or two!
And never open those boxes, containers again . . .
“Willing” them right now to my daughter Suzie!
(Tea bothers my tummy too!)
After the extravagance of Christmas, January is always a simplify and declutter month for me, too. I’m not so mobile this year after knee replacement but yesterday I put a chair in front of the fridge and I cleaned it out. Paul has been in charge of the kitchen for the three weeks since surgery, and let’s just say it’s going to take me the rest of January to find things and put them back in their “proper” places!
I have so much to tackle.... Start somewhere, right???
Wow you have been busy. Such a good feeling it is to accomplish a good clean out and get organized.
You are a January whirlwind!! Talk about getting lots done in a short period of time. But it's something we all need to do once in a while. I once read you don't need that big of a house to live in if you have adequate storage space. Hrumpf. I don't have much trouble keeping our living space organized, neat and tidy, but it's those storage spaces (that I can't see every day) that are my downfall. You have given me encouragement. Tomorrow? My walk-in pantry! (Or maybe Monday.)
It's like you are inside my mind! I'd love to know how you organize your circular needles as mine are a real rat's nest right now. I love this post - it's so real!
Susan, I use a specially designed fabric needle holder - designed for circular needles. Each size has its own pocket so all my #3 circulars are in the #3 pocket and the #4 circulars are in the #4 pocket and so on. All the different lengths are in the same pocket for their needle size.
I bet if you went out to Amazon and searched on Circular Knitting needle holders you would find something like that.
Well done you! Clearing out one area often leads on to another and yes January is a good time to get those things done when it's quieter and often the weather doesn't inspire you to get outdoors.
Very good! I have started on my craft room... Can I borrow a cup of mojo? ;) It's nice to do things like that and have some result. I keep thinking that when I clean, it looks good in there, but then I start crafting, and kerblooey, it goes away.
Oh, well, it's still worth the effort.
Cat
Post a Comment