…because I’m in the middle of the most depressing cleaning project ever. Depressing only because I’ve put it off for so long.
We’ve lived here for two and a half years, but in some ways, I feel like we’ve never settled in. Certain things have never had a “place” and the guest room has always been an easy home for clutter. So this week I’ve been making a “place” for the things I want to keep and bagging up the things that I don’t. On Wednesday I finished up in our bedroom and our closets. This makes me extremely happy because repainting our bedroom and finishing our bathroom (FYI: the big work is done and we’re using it, but we still have to hang our mirror, the hooks and some art) are the last two big things we have to do before I will feel completely settled here. (Full disclosure: Our bedroom is the first room I painted when we bought our apartment. I’ve hated the color since the first roll. Lesson: Life’s too short to live with a bad paint choice.) Now that the bedroom and the closets are decluttered, we can get in there and paint. (And when I say we, I mean me.)
Yesterday I started tearing apart the guest room…it’s a big job in there. It was already a disaster and then, while I was cleaning our bedroom, I used the guest bed as a place to hold the things I couldn’t decide about. Now it’s time to pay the piper and find that stuff a home, or send it out. The picture above is of my stationery drawer–which has gotten a little bit out of hand. (Just a little.) I’ve sifted through it and everything fits into a basket now, which will be much easier to transport into the living room for letter writing. Tonight, I’m tackling the craft stuff, getting rid of dead and uninspiring materials and organizing the stuff that’s left. I’m trying to consolidate all of the like items and find them a home once and for all.
As depressing as the Great Clean Out has been, it’s also like a mini surprise party! I’ve unearthed some amazing things that I’d forgotten about like letters from old college friends and my old work notebook, filled with haikus that I’d written during meetings. (I was a diligent employee.) I’m glad I’m taking the time to find a good home for these little treasures of my past. And, I’m glad that I’ll soon be able to see all the craft stuff so I can use it up and spend it out.
So, that’s what’s been keeping me away from doing anything fun. Hopefully I’ll be back next week with a finished project and some good stuff to share (like an old work haiku).
kimberly ah 