Operation Catch Up and Clean Up

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Two weeks ago, the young woman who took the photos at my son’s wedding passed suddenly. I met her just once, at the wedding. She left behind 2 small children and a grieving husband. This weighed on me terribly even though I really didn’t know her. I just couldn’t stop thinking about her family. It got me thinking….too much. I didn’t sleep well for two nights.

It got me thinking about my own family, my own situation. Aside from my pain and mobility issues, I’m pretty healthy. The thing is, I could pass suddenly, too. I started thinking about what I would be leaving behind if I were to pass suddenly. A cluttered house, that’s what. Since becoming disabled, I’ve not been able to clean as I did when I was younger and able-bodied. I clean, but I haven’t thoroughly cleaned and decluttered in years. 10 years ago, it was impossible to clean as I had my grown children moving in and out of the house with their significant other and/or their children. I had to shuffle belongings from one room to another, shove shit in boxes, hide stuff in corners and closets – all to make room for the extra bodies. When they all flew the coop, I never was able to unbox and put things back because I was having pain and mobility issues. As time went on, the clutter grew because I had nowhere to put things that I actually needed.

The last couple of weeks I’ve been cleaning out drawers, closets and boxes. I’ve been throwing shit away that I haven’t used in years. I’ve been decluttering, slowly. Slowly, this house is becoming a home again….albeit still falling down.

I have to do a little each day, as my pain allows. Today, for instance, I cleaned out 3 kitchen drawers and that’s about all I could do. Yesterday, I cleaned out a plastics cabinet and threw out tons of containers I’ve not used in years. Last week, I cleaned off a huge cube shelf in the living room. You get the picture. Steady as she goes, they say.

I decided some time ago that I would be selling my soap and incense making supplies because I just can’t make those things any longer. I was hoping to be able to again someday, but I’m not sure that day will ever come. Getting those supplies together and boxed up for my buyers has been a major task but I’m getting that done, slowly but surely.

So, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. I hope to be able to relax a little in the near future when I get everything cleaned and uncluttered. It may help unclutter my mind as well…at least a little bit. I won’t have to worry about my family having to deal with the mess I’ve left behind. I can just hear them saying, “What the hell did she save this for?” Face it. We’ve all got things saved in drawers or closets and we’ll ask ourselves the same question especially if we forget why we saved it! Ha! We always have a good reason at the time, am I right?!

Anyway, I’ve been lagging behind in reading all of the wonderful blogs I follow and also on writing in my own blog. Never fear. I will get caught up again! It’s not that I haven’t tried to write. I have, but when I do my mind goes blank. As things become cleaner, decluttered and organized, it will become easier I’m sure.

Until then, please be patient with me!

19 thoughts on “Operation Catch Up and Clean Up”

  2. Good work! You are doing exactly what I need to do. I have made a start a few times over the last couple of years, but I find it very emotionally draining and tiring, and tend to run out of steam. It doesn’t help that a number of the boxes I still need to go through contain stuff cleared out of my Dad’s place when he died.
    Well done you!!!

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    • Thank you. I’ve tried many, many times but it’s very overwhelming. This time, I’ve tried to not pressure myself by doing just as much or as little as my pain will let me. Last time I expected myself to do it as if I weren’t disabled.

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  5. I have to agree with Ortensia, Deb de-cluttering is the best way to keep your mind decluttered as well. I have too started to do this (great minds think alike, no?) and I actually have a composition book with every room I need to do this in, which lets face it, it’s EVERY room. I have closets filled with donatable items such as winter coats the boys no longer wear, clothes, home decor etc. My book has a list of every room and it goes by closet, drawers then I hit the “big” room, ugh my garage. But I am getting rid of so much crap it’s unfathomable how I even accumulated so much of it. I already have empty boxes for clothes I’m going to donate to the Goodwill. Actually I’m donating everything to the Goodwill. Now if I only can get my son to stop hoarding everything he’e ever bought, or maybe he’ll move out…….soon…..ugh!

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      • WooHoo! They definitely do think alike. I’m doing the same, but I am NOT looking forward to de-cluttering the garage. It’s got tons and tons of crap, most of it doesn’t even belong to me! But I’ll throw it away, but the time any of the boys remember they had it, it’ll be long gone, lol.

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      • I also forgot to mention I have begun to de-clutter my personal paperwork as well. I started a legacy binder where I put all my important papers, birth certificates, SS cards, will, end of life wishes, my auto insurance, retirement, life insurance etc. That’s all in case something like what you mentioned above happens my boys know exactly where everything is. I have on my list what to do with literally boxes of family pictures I have. I’m going to digitize those, and the physical albums will stay with me until I die, then it will pass on to my middle son. He’s the archivist in the family, other than myself of course.

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  6. When I read this I had to laugh…in solidarity!! For the past year, I’ve been doing the same thing. Bag upon bag of stuff no one in their right might would want. Truckloads of stuff that someone would want. I’m lucky, I have a person who helps do the lifting and what not. Then when I find valuable-ish stuff that I don’t want to throw away, I just look at her and tell her to “make it go away!” Magically, it ends up in the back of her truck and gets distributed to her less-fortunate family and a number of local churches. “Make it go away” is my new mantra and I need to use it more often! By the way, I also have lists. One online and one in journal form. Tasks get checked off and new furniture arrangements and plans get sketched out. Keep going Deb, it’s a great feeling when you can look at a room and it is “done!”

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  7. True that I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m sorry for that experience that you had.
    As human beings, we must always remember our time of departure. It can help us be a better person or help us organise things that we wouldn’t want to leave behind unattended.
    I wish I could help you but…. We’re thousands of miles apart.
    You’re not old, neither am I. But we never know when God will call us. We must always be prepared.

    I hope that you’ll manage on your own. Call a neighbour maybe to help you out. And always keep in mind that you belong to God and to him you’ll return.

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