Day 3: (April 15, 2010) Today is the day for designing a plan, which means I have take the emotion out of the equation. The reality of MOVING THE MESS is NOW! OMG and I have way too much stuff. So initially I’m thinking, an effective starting point would be to address the excess…the clutter…the stuff I don’t really need, nor will I miss, (which translates to: the kid’s roller blades, bicycles, tennis rackets, basketballs, hockey sticks, art supplies, board games, etc.). Just because I don’t need them anymore, someone else surely does. This is easy. If I know that other children can enjoy these things, it feels great to let it go and donate to an appropriate charity. Ditto to their clothing, saved Halloween costumes, knapsacks, sleeping bags, baseball caps, clothing, and sports memorabilia no longer cherished. OK, now we are moving……(not literally, of course, but at least in my head).
With respect to the grand scheme of “organizing” (i.e. sorting, weeding, and purging), I would be remiss if I didn’t factor being ”green” into this equation. Let me mention, that as an Organizer and a conscientious consumer, it is my responsibility to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. It would be so easy to simply decide “trash” or “treasure” and overflow the dumpster with those items I no longer need. But we all must be accountable for our stuff and mindful that clearing our clutter means recycling or donating, not dumping it into our Earth’s landfills. I get it, and I can only hope the rest of the world gets it. If someone out in the world can benefit from our undesirables, wouldn’t that be a more gratifying option? Think of it as re-gifting.