A Perfect Mess

Over and over again, through recent years we've heard about decluttering. There are lots of books, videos, you tube presentations, etc. on this subject. People have made a lot of money on this subject and people have gotten rid of tons of items from their lives.

Decluttering is a hard thing to do for most people. I know, I am one of them. One thing that has helped here in our little cottage is NOT bringing anymore stuff into it. We no longer go to yard sales, flea markets or thrift shops looking for more to add to our collections. We've decided we have enough. I read lots of blogs, magazine articles etc. and the lure of going to these places is strong. But living in our small space, and with the economy the way it is, it's easier to resist buying these days.

One thing we can't stop buying though is books. We love to read all kinds of sujbects. I found a book that sounded really interesting a few years ago, at a good price, and it's what I will be quoting from in this post.

The book is 'A Perfect Mess' ~ The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. How crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place ~ by Eric Abrahamson & David. H. Freedman.

******

Messy homes can provide a far more inviting and nurturing environment than highly ordered ones. For one thing, cluttered homes tell us more about the personalities of its occupants than do homes stripped to their carefully arranged essentials. It's the optional, extraneous items we leave lying around that bear the stamp of our quirky inner selves.

All kinds of wonderful, valuable, and useful things get thrown out in the name of organizing. Organizers will tell you to err heavily on the side of chucking out, often offering the justification that if you haven't used the itme in a year it must not be useful to you. This is silly; follow this advice and you'll get rid of items that might have ultimately proved invaluable. A better yardstick than frequency of use is potential value and replaceability.

Part of the problem is that when it comes to getting organized, people tend to think in terms of Big Bang projects intended to utterly wipe out mess. That leads to the mass excising of a large percentage of possessions, which beside making for a potentially painful experience also increases the chances of throwing out things that will be sorely missed. Instead, why not throw out just enough to restore a comfortable amount of space and order, limiting the carnage to those items that prove no-brainers when it comes to telling the junk from the good stuff. There's no place like home for maintaining some some sentimental mess, after all.

As both John Steinbeck and the University of Texas researchers pointed out, our personalities tend to be more clearly expressed in our disorder than in our neatness. When we are being ruthless about ridding ourselves of what naturally accumulates around us and about meticulously straightening out what remains, we are in a sense tidying our identities. The truth is, we are all at least a bit of a mess ~ and all the more interesting for it.

******

So, I am going to work on relaxing more and not stressing about keeping a perfectly, decluttered space to live and play in. We will continue to get rid of 'no-brainers'.

What you see is what you get when you visit, a glimpse into our personalities, quirky, fun, weird. At our age who cares. We are not trying to keep up with anyone. We are trying to just take each day as it comes going with the flow.

That's it from the hot, humid south. I need to get up and wash dishes, enjoying the view out the window, and feeling thankful for my many blessings.

A house is who you are, not who you ought to be.

~ Jill Robinson ~