You can stop drowning in clutter and reclaim your home — along with
your peace of mind. Not too long ago, I learned a life-altering
lesson that taught me that a simpler lifestyle is achievable and
also that it isn't just about having less stuff.
Yes, I discovered that clutter isn't confined to messy closets,
overflowing cupboards, covered desktops, jumbled shelves or drawers
that won't open. It also includes our mental pantry which can be
jammed full with indecision, worry, fear, stress, pressure, anger,
frustration, anxiety, depression, dread and countless medleys of
other feelings and emotions. Such mental chaos robs our peace and
steals our hope for a happy and satisfying life.
When my daughter and son-in-law recently purchased their first
house, I offered to help with the moving, unpacking and organizing.
I was especially excited about helping my daughter sort through
their stuff and reach her great goal — to purge and pare down to
create a clutter-free home. But in the process, I was reminded of
some insights that lately have been buried in piles of new clutter I
had allowed to accumulate mentally.
My lesson began the year prior to our daughter's wedding a few years
ago when my husband and I had the grand idea to remodel our house.
We had lived in the same house for over 20 years, and, needless to
say, we had gathered and collected lots of stuff.
The first requirement before a remodeling project could begin was to
do major and significant downsizing. But this seemed like an
overwhelming job, and it was difficult to know where to start.
I pondered some wise instructions that Jesus gave to us about what
we esteem and hold dear. He cautioned against storing and hoarding
needless and pointless treasures that have no long-lasting value. He
told us that our best treasures are discovered in the desires of our
heart (Matthew 6:19-21). This sounds like we determine what we value
by answering the questions — What matters most? What are the things,
people, occasions, events we value the most?
So with these questions directing our "housecleaning," we decided
what we were going to keep, take to a secondhand shop, sell, recycle
or discard altogether.
Prior to this sorting and eliminating, I frequently harped on the
fact that I didn't have enough space — this house wasn't big enough
and there weren't enough cabinets, drawers or closets. No one could
have convinced me that cleaning house could result in more than
enough space for our stuff. But it did! After years of complaining,
I learned, much to my surprise, that my home was suddenly big
enough. I now had space for all the things I had decided were truly
important to me.
Around the same time of my house makeover, I became faced with
making a career decision. A mishmash of uncertain and confused
feelings buzzed around in my thoughts. It seemed impossible to
determine the best course of action. Making a change is not always
easy. You usually can't see what's down the road until you begin to
make the drive. And you usually have to get to the top of the hill
before you can see what lies at the bottom. So, sometimes you're
reluctant to make the turn onto a new road. Or at least I was.
I finally realized a decision was not going to be reached as long as
my vision was getting obstructed by the maelstrom of emotions
whirling around me. It was time for some mental inventory to be
taken. Once again, I asked myself what was most important in my
life. As I answered this question, I began ditching all the worry,
concern and uneasiness that were cluttering my mind. The less
cluttered my thoughts became, the more clearly I could envision the
correct next steps and goals for the rest of my life. I was on the
path to a simpler life, and it felt great.
Once again, I've been struggling over another big decision. It
really is no surprise that I've been in such a quandary. I had
allowed my life to become jumbled with so many self-proclaimed
responsibilities, as well as needs and demands, that there were
never enough hours in my days or days in my weeks. Being reminded of
my life lesson on cluttering and de-cluttering was just the impetus
needed to help me start trimming my duty list. I've been beginning
with the obvious changes that are possible this very moment. And
already my load feels lighter.
A simpler life is possible to maintain if we can remember what
matters most to us and have those treasured and most precious values
guide and direct us. Without a doubt, the list of what is most
important to you will be far shorter than the list of stuff that is
only unnecessary clutter.
When we let "what matters most" navigate and pilot our life — every
moment of our day, every purchase we make, every choice, every
decision, every goal — we can maintain a de-cluttered mind and house
and live simply and happily.
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