Never Throw Anything Out!

Accumulating is easy... Tossing is tough!

I'm constantly trying to decide what to get rid and what to keep! Terry and I tend to hold on to receipts and sentimental travel souvenirs for way too long... (We still have a box of receipts from a major home renovation we did in the year 2000!)

But recently - on the same day - I regretted having thrown stuff out, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE! (My mother would have said: "You never need something till you throw it out!")

My first pang of regret came when I realized that the author of a book I'm reading is the same woman whose investiture I happened to attend in 2011 at the Episcopalian Cathedral in Washington, DC. 

A friend and I had been at a conference near Washington. Before returning to Ottawa on a mid-afternoon flight, we drove to the beautiful cathedral and wandered around. Then we went into the service, not having any that idea that it would be something special. But we were surprised to discover that this church service was the investiture of the first woman Episcopalian Bishop of Washington. 

Years later her name was in the news after she challenged the current US president  - not once, but twice. 

The program for her investiture had a beautiful yellow cover. I kept it for years as a souvenir of this momentous event we had happened upon.

The last time I saw it, I was sorting through books to give away. In my mind, I could hear my daughter's voice reminding me that I REALLY needed to get rid of more stuff. I took the program and... I THINK I put it in the recycle bin. (But NOW I would be THRILLED to discover it tucked away in a filing cabinet drawer!)

The second time I regretted getting rid of something occurred on that same day! (Is there a lesson here for me?!)

The battery on Terry's old IPhone was dying. I wanted to transfer his SIM card to another old IPhone we had. But the phone locked when I put the SIM card in. I  took the phone to the Apple store to get them to unlock the phone, but the apple tech "genius" (That's really what they call them!)... said they would only do it if I showed them my original purchase receipt. 

Of course I don't have it! A phone warranty is good for a year - and this phone is probably 10 years old!

(Lesson learned: Never throw ANYTHING out!)

Accumulating!

I recently came across this illustration - so true!

But the problem with me is that I still like to get stuff... and it ACCUMULATES!

It's hard to get ahead of the game! I sometimes think that my goal should be to give away TWO things for every ONE I acquire!

Deleting E-Clutter!

I've spent hours - this first week of the new year - decluttering in a different way - deleting emails on my computer - several year's worth! It's been a big job.

I have several email accounts that date back to my teaching days, when I had separate email accounts for student-related communications, for online shopping, and for emails with family and friends.

All these accounts come to my cell phone, so I read them and delete them there. But... and here's where the problem lies - when I delete them from my phone, they still remain in my account on my computer. So I have to go back to my computer and delete them there again.

As I type this, I'm deleting emails from 2019. Thats's pre-pandemic! My plan is to go back to the beginning of the account.

The problem lies, in part, in the fact that many stores want your email address these days so that they can send you receipts. I prefer paper receipts - and refuse if I have a choice. But I often find myself on mailing lists from places where I shop.

I need to have a folder for e-receipts. It could be handy to keep track of them should I have a problem with a product.

But WHY have I been busy deleting NOW?! Because I can no longer send or receive emails through one overstuffed email account! And it's the one I use most often.

They sent me warnings - but I was too busy to heed them in December. But now - having been cut off - I am!

My son suggested I have a separate email account for photos and videos, as they take up a lot of space. He also suggested that I have a forwarding address on each account.Would that help?

In the meantime I'm spending the first week of the year re-reading and deleting emails. It's a bit like living in the PAST!

Why I Love Clutter…

I just came across something I wrote back in 1998 - a journaling exercise from a book I was reading at the time, entitled “Room to Write”. 

I was reflecting on all the clutter around me… the piles of things on my desk or next to my chair… (I must have had clutter around me then, as well!) 

Thinking about it, I realized that I actually THRIVE on clutter. I NEED it… for several reasons.

One, I love to be active and have lots of things to do… So I like to be have projects around me - in case I feel like working on one of them…

(I wonder… did I have quilting, knitting or reading in mind?! Or TIDYING?!)

Second, I need visual reminders of what my options are: so I leave piles of things around me.

All these visual reminders may look like clutter…(to the uninformed eye)! 

But it really isn’t! It’s work in progress!

Winter Decluttering

Cold winter weather has been a great motivator for me to look through boxes - and discover things I forgot we had!

Using the Marie Kondo principle of storing similar things together has freed up shelf space - and boxes. This box was empty after I put all our family VHS tapes - as well as my father’s - in the same storage container.

SUCCESS = an empty box!!

“The Joy of Clutter”

The February edition of Maclean’s Magazine has an article entitled “The Joy of Clutter.” It was written by a woman…

Do women tend to have more problems with clutter than men?! I don’t think so - based on my limited experience - though in our household, my clutter tends to extend farther than Terry’s! I’m responsible for more cluttered spaces than he is!

The article describes the “maximalism” of the Victorian era… which is something I personally find claustrophobic. That’s not my kind of clutter…

Mine is constantly wanting to be surrounded by plants - because they give me joy, books to read and craft projects at my fingertips - because I don’t want to be bored. Creativity brings me so much joy!

Are we craving comfort from our stuff as a result of Covid confinement, as the article suggests? Do our possessions remind us of happier times in our life - and comfort us?

I’ve always liked to be surrounded by things that bring back happy memories… For me, winter - when I spend so much time indoors - is my prime decluttering time time, if I have time to do it … and this winter I do.

Shredding and Decluttering

I haven’t been going out much the past few weeks... a perfect opportunity to de-clutter!

I started by shredding receipts that were more than 5 years old... then moved on to other papers in our filing cabinet.

Now Terry tells me that he doesn’t want to recycle this box of paper until it’s completely full...

“No point in wasting a box...”

So my daily goal is to add more paper. I don’t want this box sitting in the hall all winter!

Misleading Boxes

Our basement storage room has shelves full of an odd assortment of items - among them boxes.

This old lamp box has been sitting on a shelf for years. I assumed there was a lamp inside. I didn’t open it as it was taped shut. Perhaps one of my kids had taken the lamp to university, then sent it back with us when they no longer needed it.

So when my old desk lamp broke recently, I was glad to see this lamp box on a shelf. Maybe the lamp inside it would work for me.

But when I opened the box, I was surprised to find - not a lamp - but a few of my mother’s MUGS - including a hand painted Armenian mug!

Moral of the story: Don’t trust the picture on the box!

Organizing Yarn

One of the most useful Marie Kondo tips I learned a few years back was to keep similar things in the same place - whether it’s toothpaste, tea or ... whatever. (I didn’t realize how many tubes of hand cream I had until I started gathering them all together!)

Now the same thing has happened with my yarn. As I sort through it, organizing it into different strand thicknesses, I’m finding it in lots of places - travel bags, storage bins and drawers. And I’m amazed at how much I have!

(I’ve also found quite a few unfinished projects!)

My plan is to store all my yarn together, but so far, I haven’t found a suitable place... So some is in a closet, some in a dresser drawer, and some here next to me, near the chair where I sit to knit.

I had been thinking of joining a “knitting club” where they mail members hand-dyed yarn four times a year in “surprise” colours. But now that I realize how much yarn I already have, I’m definitely not going to buy any more until I’ve used this up!

Environmental Hazard?!

I was recently leafing through an old “Workplace Safety” booklet - when I noticed a picture...

This room full of “environment hazards” doesn’t look all that different from my home office!

Time for some serious tidying up!

"Fruits" of the Winter Season

I've never loved winter, never having been a fan of winter sports...

But I have to admit that - for me - winter does have definite advantages.

If the weather were nice, I'd want to get out of the house to walk or drive somewhere interesting. But since roads and walkways are slippery these days - and winter weather has been cold - I've devoted a lot of time to tidying and organizing the house. I'm particularly happy that I went through my kitchen cupboards, getting rid of things I no longer need...

After that, I rearranged furniture in my study. which has also caused me to get rid of a lot of papers. 

The room feels larger now, one of my sons commented. I have to agree! 

So - all in all, I'm happy with what I've managed to accomplish - the "fruit" of these long winter weeks indoors!

My Three Favorite Maria Kondo Tips

A year ago, I started to declutter, Maria Kondo style...

My closets were the first to feel the impact of her organizing style: Asking oneself if clothing and things we owned brought us a sense of joy? If not, get rid of it!

Second, I really appreciated learning her style of folding... It brought a sense of order to my drawers.

Recently going through cupboards, I thought about a third principle I think is very good: Keeping a stash in one place, not in many. 

I utilized this principle as I went through kitchen drawers bringing all our egg cups and accessories into one place, then did the same with all our Chinese food utensils.

Hopefully, no more wondering where they all might be...

Rediscovering Old Souvenirs: Armenian Art

When I was a university student living in Jerusalem, I'd occasionally treat myself to a souvenir mug or tile made by local Armenian artisans...

I particularly love the blues in their traditional art. This tile depicts the tree of life...

Armenians were invited to move to Jerusalem to make decorative tiles for the two mosques in the old city.

Over time, I purchased several tiles and mugs...

Shortly after I retired, I returned to Jerusalem with my youngest son. Wanting to buy a few more tiles, I discovered that most were now made using computer generated art...

I bought two...

Going through kitchen cupboards recently, I found one of the mugs I'd bought as a student. I've started to use it again - now (having done pottery for a while) I see it in a slightly different way...

The mugs have a simple shape - and are about the same thickness as the tiles...

I wonder if I could try to replicate the painting on it... It may also have symbolic meaning. I wonder what it is...

Hard Decisions

My daughter recently moved into a new - open concept - apartment. To make her new home look uncluttered, she has had to get rid of a lot of things that she was holding on to - in case she ever needed them...

It has been very liberating, she told me. I feel great whenever I take out another recycling bin of paper. Or whenever I give away furniture I no longer want. Slowly the place is looking the way I want it to - uncluttered!

I think of her enthusiasm for de-cluttering as I survey the boxes of papers (remnants of my teaching days) that clutter my study.

Will I feel as happy if I recycle these? Do I want to sort through them ever again? What if I decide to create more teaching material (a highly unlikely possibility!)?

So much time has gone into these papers... it's hard to just toss them...

But maybe that's what I really need to do!

One Good Thing About Winter...

I'm not a winter person. I don't ski or skate. I'd be perfectly happy in a snow-less environment.

Winter keeps me indoors much of the time...

When I'm indoors, I'm often motivated to go through things, getting rid of what I no longer need.

That's what I've been doing for the past few days.

If today were sunny and warm, I'd want to head outdoors. But not today...

A year ago, I read Marie Kondo's two books on tidying up. She calls it a joy. I found her books very helpful... I love her system of folding and organizing drawers...

I've managed to keep this tea towel drawer tidy for the past year with no effort at all.

Last year I worked on closets and drawers; this winter I've been motivated to go through all my kitchen cupboards.

First I clear them...

Then I look for boxes, bins and baskets to put things in.

Sometimes a great box simply doesn't fit into the space allotted...That's disappointing... "Back to the drawing board!"

Marie Kondo stresses not having more than one stash of the same item in different places...

It takes time to figure things out. But I'm hoping that, if winter lingers, I may actually get the whole kitchen done. That would be nice!

Letting Go of Old Papers

One of my de-cluttering goals is to get rid of things I no longer need or want - so that shelves and cupboards will have empty spaces!

One of the areas I've tackled recently is a bin of old papers that date back to my teaching days.

I have a plastic bin full of file folders I may never want...

But a tiny part of me doesn't want to part with them... just in case... in case I some day find time to create online spelling exercises... (something I think of doing from time to time)...

But will that idea ever be so important to me that I'll actually do it?!

Maybe not... But I'm still finding it hard to let go!

It's Hard to Get Rid of Old Cards...

One of my goals this summer is to go through filing cabinet drawers and shred or toss papers we no longer need... (This is no easy task: We have five filing cabinets!)

Among the papers are bundles of cards and letters my mother treasured and brought with her when she moved to Ontario at the age of 83: Lots of birthday cards, a few souvenirs from her own wedding, and a large bundle of sympathy cards she received when my father died.

Marie Kondo (the Japanese organizing guru) suggests that when getting rid of sentimental "clutter," one should take time to appreciate the friends and occasions that the cards (or gifts) represent. Then say good-bye.

As I read the cards, I am reminded that my parents enjoyed a large network of friends and family. What a treasure!

But there is also nostalgia here... In the bundles I've encountered cards from people I knew well, too. Many of them, my parents' generation, are no longer alive - like my godmother, Ruth and other close family friends.

Seeing their handwriting and comments brings back such strong emotion that I have to resist the urge to dig through the recycle bin and retrieve the cards.

Saying good-bye is never easy.

Good Organizing Tips

My winter reading has included both Marie Kondo books - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy.

I have picked up useful organizing tips from both books... though her infectious enthusiasm for tidying is probably what has motivated me the most!

Among the tips I've found most useful are her suggestions to:

• Fold or roll clothing and towels and store them in an upright position, rather than on piles.
• Use boxes and containers I already have on hand for organizing rather than buy new ones.
• Gather similar objects together and store them in the same place... One group of items I now store together are my glucose testing materials - including the log books I've kept since 2005 to write down my fasting blood sugar levels every morning. I now realize that I did a much better job of controlling my sugar levels before I retired...  Why? I wonder... Was it that I had less opportunity for snacking? Did my day involve more walking? Or is it simply an age thing? (I tend to think it's the first two...)
• And of course, I can't forget a very powerful tip: visualize how I'd like the house to look when I'm done... which has me enthusiastically working on the project!

If It Sparks Joy...

These days, I often ask myself if this or that item in our house "sparks joy"...

If it doesn't, maybe I should get rid of it...

But if it does, maybe I should be using it more...

So I've pulled out this lovely plate to use on a daily basis...

This cup and saucer as well. (It was a gift from my son...)

Slowly, I'm making a point of using "special" dishes.

It's a small change, but it brightens my day...

My De-Cluttering Obsession

This winter has been unlike any that I can remember... Instead of knitting and quilting, I have been going through shelves and drawers in our house to determine what objects "spark joy".

Deciding what to get rid of is always hard. We have emotional attachments to what we own. But when we ask ourselves if something actually gives us "joy," it becomes a lot easier. Getting rid of what no longer brings us joy is actually liberating!

Have an idea of what you want your home to look like, she advises.

Go through everything, and get rid of objects that don't "spark joy."

Then determine where to store the rest...

It will take about 6 months to do. Don't work at it every day.

I've been at it for about 2 months, and I still have a long way to go... Hopefully I'll check in from time to time to  tell you how it's going.

Personally I think I'll need more than 6 months... but we'll see!