Stuff in every cupboard. In every drawer. On every available surface. I keep buying storage solutions, only to have them overspill within days of being in use.
Our bedroom houses a beautiful console. I envisaged a gorgeous vignette: softly glowing lamps, beautiful hard covered books, and precious ornaments. Instead, what I see each morning the moment I open my eyes is a screeching cacophony of unread magazines, cables and cords, carelessly discarded jewellery and receipts, birthday cards (from March!), miscellaneous plastic containers (yet more failed storage solutions) and mystifying detritus.
I've never had such a big kitchen. Ever. I doubt I will again. There are three tall vertical pantries, four under-bench cupboards, five overhead cupboards, and ten (yes, ten!) deep drawers. We also bought two butchers blocks, each with two shelves, and created an island bench from them. Yet, inexplicably, I have completely run out of room. The debris has migrated to the benchtops. This slow moving but entirely consuming front of gratuitous waste knows no bounds.
Every room in our house is the same, and it's messing with my head. I can't breathe. Nothing is ever properly tidy or clean. Nothing seems to have a permanent home. There is nothing peaceful about the most important space in my life - my home. And when things are tidy (at least on the surface) there is absolutely no denying the joy I feel, followed by the most soothing calm. I wish I could bottle it.
None of this was intentional. And I don't quite know how we got here, but I suspect babies, parenting, working, and general exhaustion simply overtook everything else. Stuff has a very clever way of simply sneaking in. And bad habits are too easy to form.
So, I'm going to fix it.
It's going to be hard. We are going to have to get rid of lots of stuff. We are going to have to make tough decisions. It's going to take the rest of the year, undoubtedly, and then it will take a will of steel. The journey probably won't be pretty, but I know the end result will be.
And it will be more than that. We will have less waste. We'll probably save money too, not re-buying things we already own, or better yet, deciding that actually, we don't need it after all.
Our boys will learn that lots of stuff doesn't equal happiness. In fact, potentially the opposite. That it makes decisions more difficult. That it stifles their creativity.
Our environment will be calm. Clear. Uncluttered. Life will be easier.
We're going to live with less. I can't shake the belief that less stuff will mean more room for people, for love, for laughter and for living. I'm down with that.
I'm starting with the kitchen.
Wish me luck.
have you read simplicity parenting? i loved it. and so much was taken to the op shop ... i don't even miss all that stuff that i bagged up and shipped off. good luck x
ReplyDeleteI have sarah! And it was like an epiphany. I have always tried to be so careful about what we bring into the boys' daily lives, but yet there was still so much that was superfluous. I did a MASSIVE cull of the boys' toys a few months ago, but I don't think I was ruthless enough! They more carefully curated (!?) their possessions, the happier and more imaginative they are, it seems. x
DeleteTake things in baby steps, bit by bit you will get there and as Sarah said above, you won't even miss half of what you cull :) I often wish we had more storage space here, but then I think that somehow, the more room you have, the more you find to fill it with... and so, I've learnt that what we have is more than enough :)
ReplyDeleteThanks beautiful. You're right. It is all about baby steps. I am of the 'all or nothing' cloth generally, so realising this is going to take stages and time is probably my biggest hurdle. I'm happy to report that I did the kitchen on Friday, and I feel so good about it. Things are culled, organised, and I feel like I've made serious lifestyle decisions for our family. I'm not sure how they'll take it of course, but seeing as I'm the cook, they'll have to get used to it! xx
DeleteThis sounds a bit like my life as well. I am putting in a lot of effort with the goal being 1 year to have lots of the "stuff" dealt with. I started in Nov, am doing major reno stuff along the way, but I am getting there. Your post today is so much like my post today ... amazing. http://afarmerswife-findingherself.blogspot.com.au/
ReplyDeleteps I have only just joined the blogworld after many years lurking ... you can tell I don"t know what I am doing. :)
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you for saying hello, and good on you for starting your own blog. It's a place that can just be yours. I'm sure you'll love it x
DeleteLove the concept of 'living with less'!
ReplyDeleteHave you read this article - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/living-with-less-a-lot-less.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=general&src=me&
Good luck! X
I have been reading loads of stuff lately about living with less. Some are far too extreme for me. I don't know where my balance will ultimately be, but endless consumption and waste makes me quite a bit sick to the stomach. I try to buy things with as little packaging as possible, which is partly why I buy produce at markets and take my own bags. Anything that comes in little single packages, I avoid, and make them myself. But there is certainly a convenience factor that is hard to deny in our busy lives. I'll get there :) x
DeleteOh my goodness Jen, I have been having a HUGE declutter this past week. It started a week ago with changing the rooms around. I have spent all day just doing our room. Did the boys room during the week. Can't belive the amount of stuff I have sorted to pass on and throw away. I still have a few more rooms to go, but I can already feel the difference......light xo
ReplyDeleteThere must be something in the air Elaina! I spent 10 hours on Friday sorting out my kitchen. I feel A LOT better about it. I am utterly sure I still have far more stuff than we need, but it's a good start. Keep me posted with how you're going with yours! Jx
Delete