Reflections on Sink Reflections

I got a copy of Sink Reflections through inter-library loan the other day.  I was excited to see what new little nuggets of encouragement I could glean from it.  I had an opportunity to start digging in yesterday and, at first, it seemed that I had already been exposed to all of the information through the website and emails.  That was not a bad thing, for these lessons bear repeating (and repeating, and repeating).  As I read along, however, something interesting started happening.  When I got to the chapter on de-cluttering, I started feeling physically uneasy.  Even now, thinking about it, I get kind of a chest-tightening, slightly panicky feeling.

OK, what is that all about?

Well, I believe that Flylady would probably encourage me to figure it out, resolve this little issue and get on with de-cluttering, so I’ve been contemplating how I feel about this whole de-cluttering dilemma.  First, I will admit that I have not yet put a 15-minute de-cluttering segment into my daily routine.  On the surface, I tell myself that is because I am still trying to make my daily zone mission a habit before I add the habit of de-cluttering.  While that may be partially true, I have a suspicion that there is more to it.

This summer, the whole family and I spent a LOT of time de-cluttering the whole house.  Yes, yes, yes, I know that ideally it could have been done in shorter sessions over a longer period of time, but it was very motivational for me to get whole rooms de-cluttered at once so that I could move into maintenance mode once Joey went back to school.  At least that was what I told myself.  But I think that a deeper reason from my doing a massive de-cluttering was that I really, really wanted the emotional (and physical, for sure) help that Joey and Clara and Amelia provide because de-cluttering is very difficult for me.

Through the linen closet and the Family Closet and the play room, Joey and Clara, especially, were right there reassuring me that it was OK to throw away and give away things that did not bless our home, were broken, were missing many components, never fit, were never worn.  With their help, we unloaded an amazing amount of stuff.  These areas of our home are so functional, easy to maintain and fun to use, now.  Every single day, I enjoy the benefit of our focus on de-cluttering this summer.

Yet, the thought of having to go de-clutter by myself right now makes my heart beat harder and I break out in a sweat.  I’m not kidding.  I don’t like to decide what should stay and what should go.  I hate looking at stuff and quickly measuring its value to our family, yet if I linger over the decision, I never make any progress.

My reading Sink Reflections really provoked some serious thinking, more serious than I would have predicted.  I imagine that the best way to face this fear of de-cluttering alone is to de-clutter every day until it becomes a habit.  Oh, wait, is that Flylady talking?

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