I am sure those of you who are apparently bored and therefore reading my wee blog (thanks again, you rock) can relate, when we moved in together we took all of our belongings, all our crap from two apartments, and co-mingled our stuff into one living space. Moving is stressful and let's face it, a pain in the ass so we didn't necessarily sort through everything. We packed up a lot of stuff, got moved in and didn't want to then sort it out so it got put into boxes and put into our spare room closet.
Pete is much more of a minimalist than I. I will definitely admit that. I like having stuff. Now I am not totally materialistic but I like a good thing or two. I am also not much of a house cleaner but I don't enjoy disarray or clutter. However when it is magically stuffed in a closet, it isn't clutter...it is out of sight, out of mind.
So we decided it was finally time to sort it out and prepare for when we have luscious bottles of wine ready to drink at any time at our disposal (hmmm, this could be a problem that starts with AA) ;). It turned out surprisingly however that most of the crap was not mine. I had a few bins and a few small boxes but most of it turned out to be his which was a slight bit amusing to me! There was some stuff that could be considered both of ours such as Christmas decorations and a sleeping bag but most of it really wasn't mine. Sorting through it was like a blast from the past so I just gave him his space and he worked his way through it, some of it was interesting and neat to see.
What we now have is a lovely space which has actually decluttered the room itself by being able to put a few more things away and also it has opened up a great spot in the closet for our future winery! It felt good to carry out those garbage bags filled with our past and those boxes that held long lost memories we hadn't visited in a while. It made me feel almost lighter, like we were moving forward and preparing for the new.
It also got me thinking of the clutter we, as in people, can have in our actual lives, not just our homes. Whether it is a relationship that is past it's due date but we stay in it because it is comfortable or that friendship that is there because there is a history but really doesn't have any current relevance.
In this world of "Facebook Friends", our lives really are cluttered (and not necessarily in a negative way) with those kinds of relationships. I don't always think of this stuff independently but this is where Peter plays such a big role in my life and looks at things differently and makes me think, yeah, I never looked at it that way.
But I don't really have 318 close and personal friends, I would like to but it is impossible (no one is able to really). I mean, I think I am a pretty likable girl but I am not quite "that" popular. And even before Facebook I thought that having a lot of friends, even if they were just acquaintances, was the way to go but really, it isn't possible with so much going on in our lives to maintain very many close, personal relationships. Over the past few years, my real life friends list has dwindled and I am actually okay with that. Some have self selected out and others have just faded into the night which I also think is a natural part of life. I want to have close meaningful relationships, not just "hey, how are you" friends. I want people who I want to make a priority and who want to do the same with me. Now don't get me wrong, everyone needs/wants/has "hey how are you" friends who you see on occasion or people who you want to catch up with every now and then, I mean, that is really why the Facebook addiction and "relevance" exists. There can be many layers of your social sphere but be careful, this is where the clutter starts! (I sound like an f'ing life coach here, haha)
So clutter can happen anywhere, whether it be in our homes, our closets or in our relationships with others. I think it all comes down to making your world, your space, your life a priority and keeping order in that world. Moving on from something that is cluttering your life is freeing, liberating and highly recommended!
Currently Reading (ironically): "Friends Like Us" by Caitlin Davies
Until next time...xx
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