Less is More

Forgive me. I am finally crawling out of no-man’s land. With my husband off work since Christmas and my oldest home on winter break, I’ve had absolutely no idea what day it is for the last week. That questionable period of time between Christmas and New Year’s. When the world moves at a slower pace and most days there’s little rhyme or reason. I have to imagine it’s how a goldfish feels when they’re trapped inside a small bowl. And by goldfish, I mean myself. And by small bowl, I mean being at home with the husband and both kids. Twenty-four hours a day for the last nine days…

I spent the better part of the weekend working towards my number one resolution. Less is more. I love to declutter and organize. It’s an illness, really. But the kind that feels so dang good. And there is absolutely no better time to surrender to that sickness than during the New Year holiday. Because you know very well that once Christmas is over, it looks like Target exploded all over your living room. Ohhh. Emm. Geeeee. Can you even imagine if that really happened?! Especially now that they have their own liquor store! I mean, yes please! But I digress…… Back to the outrageous operation of STUFF that is now taking rest across every square inch of our living space. After a near week of the chaos just glaring me in the face, I decided it was time to join the human ranks again and do something productive. So off I went with a mission to fulfill – out with the old and in with the new. And like you’d imagine, I got sidetracked. Because you can’t just put the stuff away. You have to truly find a place for it. So there I was, deep in the trenches of completely re-organizing the closets, the playroom, the office, the loft. Forgetting along the way which toy/clothing/book I was even aiming to secure a home for. Can’t stop won’t stop. Donate? Yep. Trash? Yep. Keep? Nope. It needs a home. And not ours. I mean, the kids are pretty darn lucky they’re still left. Because it was beast-mode mom and no one was going to get in my way. I rearranged the master closet because for the first time in…ever…my husband got more clothes for Christmas than I did. While I was at it, I straightened up all of his ties. By color. I do all the laundry. So everything else is color-coordinated. Because yes. That’s how I roll. My side. His side. Everything. Except his ties have never been organized since I’ve never really bothered with that part of our closet. But now. It was entirely inexcusable to not have them lined up as such. {I’m actually wondering how I let them go this long}. And did he notice when he got home from the grocery store? You bet. In a lovingly manner, no less. While I was in the bedroom, I could hear his voice. “Oh boy. Did you arrange my ties in color order??!” Sure did. {Insert all sorts of head shaking as he walked out. Because yeah, that’s what happens when you marry someone with OCD in the best kind of way}. He loves me.

Despite all the craziness I executed this past weekend, my family is better off. Yes. They are BETTER. OFF. Life is clean again. It’s tidy. It’s organized. Okay…back up. It’s not clean. Because I have two boys in this house. So I can clean until my hands are bleeding and they’re right behind me making another mess. It’s not tidy. Because. Two year old. Enough said. And it’s only organized to the best of my ability with the aforementioned. {Sigh} But there’s less. Not more. And that much feels good. I know the entire year is spent accumulating more. And it doesn’t get discarded as quickly as it should. But for these moments, heading into the brand New Year, I’m off to a good start with my number one resolution. Feeling grateful for what I do have versus dwelling on what I don’t have. It is part of my less is more mission. When I have less in my possession, I feel like I can better see what I have rather than focusing on what I don’t have. Too much clutter gets in my way. Physically and mentally.

What’s on the top of your list for 2017? Resolutions. Goals. Commitments. Intentions. Objectives. WHATEVER you want to call them. Do what you gotta do to make yourself better than you were yesterday. Last week. Last month. Last year. Because if you change nothing then nothing will change. So even if it’s just ONE thing, do it. Less is more. It’s my mission for the entire year. At least for the spaces I can see. Our basement might be better left for 2018…

Happy New Year. And thoughtful wishes for the changes you bring upon yourself in the coming year. Cheers!