Has Anyone Seen My Clutter?

I ask that question not because I am going to actually SHOW you my clutter but rather because a lot of my clutter is missing in action -- the action of The Great Valenta Clean Sweep! :) I have been busy as a bee going through our home getting rid of the many accumulated things that are no longer useful, or needed or give us joy. It's been a long process (over a few weeks now and still moving along) but it has been such good therapy for my soul.

I have read plenty of books and magazines on organization, in fact, I probably owned most of at one time or another. But what I am beginning to (finally) realize is that almost all of the books and articles I have read try to tell you how to organize all the STUFF you have -- not necessarily teach you how to let go and get rid of it. I am not sure any book can convince you to get rid of your treasured "stuff" until you are ready anyway. My being "ready" didn't come from reading any book but rather it came from a place inside of me that had had enough of being surrounded by things that seems to frustrate me more than they gave me joy, were more of a hindrance than a help, and seemed to mock me rather than give me peace.

I've felt justified in keeping things because some day it might come in handy or because I paid a lot of money for something. But the truth is that most things I think I might need someday I don't and really, so what if I paid a lot of money for something? If it's no longer useful to me what does it matter how much it cost? Keeping something just because of the price tag it once sported isn't going to give me back the money I paid, so why keep it? And some of my clutter has just plan accumulated because I've been too lazy (a.k.a. busy, uninterested, unwilling, or preoccupied) to spend anytime assessing the usefulness of the variety of things collected.

Now lest you think I am a candidate for the TLC show "Hoarding:Buried Alive", I am not -- not even close. (But seeing that show a time or two will drive any sane person to re-evaluate what is around them and toss a thing or two.) :)

So far we've made 10+ trips to Goodwill with the promise of many more.

Okay, so I lied... I will show you a few pictures of before and after....

We even said good bye to our beloved singing lobster....sorry Cretta!

So our decluttering journey continues on. While I will never be a true minimalist, I am enjoying whittling away and paring down the possessions that are not needful, to make room for greater things that await me. :)