Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The last few days have been quite deceptive. While I love the sunshine streaming through my windows, the bright sun and blue sky are masking the real weather story— the bitter cold. The only hint I get that it is so cold outside is the frequency of the furnace starting. If you are one of those people who waits for winter and snow so you can go play in it, this column probably isn’t for you.
Yesterday when I was complaining about the cold and said that it was time to move somewhere with a more moderate climate, it dawned on me that there are actually a few things that I like about winter in North Dakota. Like a bear, I have always tended to hibernate in January, going out only when absolutely necessary. Nights cuddled under a blanket with a hot beverage and a good movie sounds perfect for the person with cold weather phobias.
That’s all good for a weekend or two, but as I complain about the cold, I realize that I am wishing whole months of my life away while I wait for nicer weather. Even though I don’t like being outside in truly frigid weather, there is something rejuvenating about stepping out into the cold and taking that first breath of cold air. That shocking blast of cold just shakes those cobwebs right out of your head. You move more quickly than usual and you don’t dawdle.
I have read countless articles and books on home organization and have gone through the effort of making a place for everything, so our living space is uncluttered. Over the years, I have purchased plastic bins, boxes and totes and packed my things inside them so that I can use every inch of my storage spaces. All under the guise of organizing my home.
However, now I have closets and cabinets stacked with plastic containers and totes. A large Christmas closet that is stacked with totes full Christmas decorations that rarely get used, because I don’t decorate like I used to. I have cabinets and drawers full of craft supplies that stay in their bins because I don’t want to deal with the mess of bringing them out, only to have to put it all away again. I no longer need home organization tips, I just need to go through my bins of too much stuff and get rid of the things that are no longer important.
A story that I heard on the radio may have jump-started this line of thinking a little. The speaker and his wife had also come to the realization that they just had too much stuff. They had outgrown their smaller home, had moved to a larger one and now, it was also feeling a bit full.
Their problem arose when his wife decided that she wanted to start painting again. It was something she had always loved but with little kids and no place to set up her paints, she had simply stopped doing it. Her husband suggested that she use the attic as a painting space. He realized that it may take a little work to give the space a studio feel, but he reminded her that a bank of windows gave the area a lot of nice light.
His wife disappeared up the stairs and he didn’t pay much attention to the noises overhead because he was getting ready to leave on a business trip. Upon his return, he was met by his rather tired wife who asked if he would like to see her space and he followed her to the attic. He said he literally gasped when she opened the door. She had taken it very seriously when she determined that it was time to organize her space.
The windows were washed. The floor was covered with carpets. All her paints and things were neatly organized on shelves. There was an empty canvas waiting at the easel.
But where were the boxes of their stuff? He said his voice squeaked a little when he asked what she had done with their stuff. “Oh, the boxes? I threw them away,” was his wife’s calm response. Actually, she had donated them.
Then his wife turned on an old radio she had found in the boxes and sat down in a comfortable looking armchair she had placed next to the window. A chair he recognized from their old home but had forgotten about.
She told him that once she had gotten through the clutter in the attic, it felt so good that she started on the rest of the house and got the kids to help by paying them to help her haul the stuff away.
Clutter usually sneaks in slowly. One day you realize you don’t remember what is in the cabinets full of totes. There’s a saying that the stuff you own ends up owning you. So true. If your house is too full of trinkets and things, you feel uncomfortable there— hard to stay in a positive attitude when you feel like you suffocate with all that stuff around.
That’s how I feel. So, why not take the next few months of winter in the house and do something about the stuff that seems to be owning me? And maybe, in the process of purging the stuff that I don’t want any more, I will find a space where I can actually go back to doing some of the things that I used to love to do.
So, I took a notebook and wrote “Organizing Clutter” on the first page. And as the list maker that I am, I made a list of the things that I wanted to get done. My goal is to take at least one item off the list every day. I’ve already done a couple and am amazed at the change in my attitude.
It’s like a breath of fresh cold air, clearing the cobwebs of my mind.
We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.
Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.