There, I've said it.
I looked up the definition earlier at dictionary.com.
Packrat
noun
1. a collector of miscellaneous useless objects
2. any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of western North America; hoards food and other objects
While I'm not bushy-tailed, or a member of the genus Neotoma, I do fit the rest of the description. This is relevant for two reasons.
1. My house is filled with STUFF. Boxes, upon knickknacks, upon boxes of Stuff.
2. I am in the process of packing as we need to move by the end of summer.
Honestly, I'm having a hard time. Part of it is ADD-related and feeling overwhelmed. Part of it is the sheer amount of stuff that needs going through, which also feeds into the ADD issues. Part of it is that my darling DB sees what I'm doing and wants to help. That means that things I've put in the box to recycle, or bring to the thrift store, or pack get UNpacked. These things lead to a very unmotivated Me. I'd rather be playing FB games, watching hulu.com, or practicing. Basically, I'd rather be doing anything else. Heck, I'd even go to the dentist if it would get me out of packing. Sadly, I can't do those other things because I must be strong. I must pack.
I've been through most of the book shelves for the first purging, and I've gotten rid of 5 bags of books. It feels good to have divested, but I feel so sad. Those books were like old friends. I didn't want to say good bye to them, but I had to. Next on the list are the office supplies.
I adore office supplies. They hold such promise. They will help me colour coordinate. They will help me organise. They will help me reach my full potential! They will help me feel productive! They will also clutter my space. Pinning my hopes on inanimate objects to help me with such things has never really worked, but it's not stopped me from hoarding pens, post-its, staples, push pins, and folders.
So many emotions are caught up in the clutter of my life. In truth, the emotions and memories take up so much less (physical) space, there's no real need for me to hold onto the tangible objects. That empty bottle of seltzer tells me that it was the first bottle of seltzer I drank, on my own, and enjoyed. It tells me that it was a hot night, and cranberry lime seltzer really hit the spot. It's also been sitting on the floor, under my desk, for the past several months. Recently it took on new life as a toy for my 15 mos old daughter, but really I don't need to keep it. She has plenty of toys, and I can grab another bottle of seltzer from the cupboard when I get thirsty. I can get rid of that bottle Any Time. You just watch me.
BEFORE
AFTER
EDIT: Not only is the damn water bottle gone, but the floor is swept and mostly clear. Go me. :D
Trying to go through a whole room was wayyyy too much for me to handle. If I could spend 15-20 minutes in a room putting things in Keep/ Must be Dealt With/ Garbage piles, I felt pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI also learned the lovely trick of taking pics of things that were important to me - but I never used/touched.
And gifting things that were important to me to people I cared about.
Those were things that went into the Must Be Dealt With pile, ya know?
Hopefully I can head over and help...as soon as I deal with my clutter at the old house :-/
Doing a whole room at once is a bit overwhelming, but trying to work on several rooms at once is too distracting for me. I'm taking the approach of 15-20 minutes of work, then do something else for 10 min, then do another 15-20 minutes of work.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can come over too. I always work better when there's someone else around.