Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Tuesday Slice: Hermit hoarder


I sit at the computer, perusing the piles of paper before me.  Or rather, one large pile, as once discrete stacks are now half-shuffled together.  Receipts, recipes, catalogs, sticky notes, medical papers, correspondence, begging  for attention.

File me!
Shred me!
Throw me away!

There are piles of books on the coffee table, in bags, on my bedroom floor, on my nightstand.  They are hiding in the pile on my desk, on the craft table. 

Read me!
Finish me!
Give me away!

Old clothes, ill-fitting new clothes, clothes I've bought but don't really need, clothes with memories of other places, activities, slimmer hips.

Wear me!
Consign me!
Donate me!

Other collections lack proper storage--cookbooks, cookware, owl items, crystal, music CDs.  Inherited decor, treasures of family history.  But what's valuable?  What's not?

Use me!
Appraise me!
Put me on display, or give me away!

Unfinished crochet projects, remnants of crafty pursuits: half-done scrapbooks with paper and stickers to fill twenty more, sewing patterns and fabric, needles of all kinds, frames unfilled, wood unfinished.  Dusty silk floral arrangements, home and holiday decor that is too hard to reach to actually use.

Create with me!
Decorate with me!
Give me away!

This hermit's cave has become too cluttered to be a refuge, too full of shouting from the stuff that accumulated as years have passed.  But where to start?  My heart is heavy with sentimentality, my head tired at the end of a workday filled with decision-making to deal with even more. Heaven help the hermit hoarder--please.

9 comments:

  1. I can completely relate! I also need a certain sense of order to be able to function. I figure that if I let things pile up so long, I may not really need them. The phrase, "When in doubt, throw it out" often comes to mind on these organizing days. Good luck as you finish your project!

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer--it's hit critical mass on my desk, especially. I've yet to find the perfect solution to manage the paper clutter!

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  2. Yes, you've written a wonderful post to get me up and sorting out the old to make way for the new. Each January, I am inspired to do so and then the piles start piling after I put my energy into the first rush. Best of luck on your decluttering project.

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    1. It's always a matter of restarting for me, Carol! Good luck on your own cleaning projects!

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  3. I moved a few years ago and had an estate sale, and am very glad to have done it. I hear you, though, things are piling up again. That "My heart is heavy with sentimentality" gets me every time. Best wishes for at least starting!

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    1. I'm thinking of hiring an estate salesperson to help appraise some of my "stuff", too--especially the crystal. It's difficult when family size dwindles and you're the recipient of so many heirlooms.

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  4. You are singing the song of my people!!! I constantly feel like I'm getting rid of things, only to have them replaced by other "things." Even my house is decorated in "love my family clutter." Pictures and mementos everywhere, but I can't seem to part with any of it.

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