Cleaning House...

Otherwise known as.... Turning Clutter Into Peace

When I was growing up in the very house (the very room, in fact) that I live in now I had a hard time keeping my room clean.

My mother would say that is the understatement of the century.

Now, I had nothing on hoarders, but it was cluttered to say the least.  In fact, when I was a teenager our house alarm went off while my family was on vacation and the police called my grandfather to confirm that it was a false alarm.  They walked him into my bedroom.  We think this room may have been ransacked.

No, this is my granddaughter's room.  That's how she keeps it.

Yeah... it was bad. 

Recently my room has been a dumping ground of sorts.  Run home, change, throw clothes in hamper and books/magazines/bills  on the dresser, or bedside table, or any other available surface, and run out the door again on the way to salsa class/work/Mom and Dad's/any assortment of friends (mostly Linette and of late, Great Dancing Argentinian) as we adventure about town.  The accumulation of stuff has been getting on my nerves.  I'm never home long enough to read the magazines I subscribe to (or rather, when I am, I am blogging) but I hope to remedy that while on my two-week break from work. 

The Economist particularly haunts me.  I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with a weekly newsmagazine.  I like being informed and The Economist is a great source for international news.  That said, most of the articles are long, and use ten-point words.  I like-- make that, I LOVE-- ten-point words, but lately unread issues have been piling up.  One of my tasks during the break is to sort through them and read at least two good articles from each issue.

It's the only way I can keep The Economist from mocking me.  I can't be mocked by a magazine.  It's just not right.

Today I took all of the stuff that has accumulated in my room and elsewhere in Chuck's house, and piled it on my bed.  I separated the piles into bills to pay, magazines and catalogs to get rid of, and reading material to keep.  I recycled, swept, washed my sheets, bath rugs, and even the comforter.  I filled the trash can with what couldn't be recycled.  Surfaces are clear and well-organized.  My room looks good.  It feels really nice to be in a room that isn't closing in around me. 

I even cleaned the bathroom, but that's normal.  I have black granite counters so they have to be cleaned at least every two days or else they look disgusting.  It's a pain but hey, I always have a clean bathroom. 

Except when it needs to be cleaned.

My room is not perfect:  The closets are cluttered, but that can be a project for another day.  (Chuck says that clean closets aren't necessary, but you know, a well-organized space creates peace of mind.  At least, they do for me.)  It took about two hours to get my room the way I wanted it.  Two hours well spent.  I even attended to the bills.  I can head into Christmas and New Year's content with the knowledge that I can come home to a peaceful space. 

That's important, don't you think?