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Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Decluttering After Christmas

It's the second week of January. I wake to declutter the great room after a well-spent Christmas with family. It looks like a typical after-Christmas scene except for scattered masks that remind me of the existence of COVID-19. Placing that thought aside, I start to systematically take down decorations.


I move from the great room to the study gathering items to pack away for next year. As I sit at the computer ready to continue writing, I search for a photo and find old computer files that I have not looked at all year. The 3-second rule shared by a colleague year ago pops up as a reminder. Open a file or an item in the room. If you have not touched it in months or years, it is time to discard it. Whew! Within 45 minutes, I quickly trash dozens of old files. Decluttering makes me smile. I feel energized. “Time spent minimizing possessions is never wasted.” (Joshua Becker) I go off to my Stretch and Pump class knowing that within a few days the boxes of decorations will be stored away and I will have time to reorganize. 


Join me as I sit comfortably on the vintage upholstered chair that now sits in the space where the Christmas tree stood waiting for new memories to be made. (Of course, it will take at least a month to accomplish that.)


It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers, a meeting place for a world of reflective writers. 
declutter
remove my mess
stand back assess
feel instant peace
quick stress relief
©CV, 2022

I appreciate the pause in life each week where I can slice my thoughts.


5 comments:

  1. Carol, there is always such a great sense of accomplishment when we declutter whether it is material things or emails and files. Our with the old or unused makes room for the new. Wishing you many happy New memories.

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  2. I find that physically decluttering is easier than the digital decluttering. The speed and amount of digital materials is way larger than real items. The feeling of getting rid of unnecessary is positive in both cases.

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  3. Carol,
    This post is motivating me as I purge and simplify my new place. It is so peaceful and makes me happy too. I love the quote by Joshua Becker: “Time spent minimizing possessions is never wasted.” Enjoy the time, as you declutter and destress!

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  4. The pause that refreshes, a great way to think about writing. I like your instant peace that comes when removing the mess. Here's to finishing the job and moving on to new memories!

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  5. What a great quote about eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary may speak! It certainly applies to decluttering the mind and the spirit as well...the poem encapsulates this perfectly, Carol. Your words always impart peace.

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