Raise your hand if your grandparents’ hoardish habits were excused by the fact that “They grew up during the Depression, honey. They had to save every piece of string and scrap of cloth.” That was the reason given for why Grandma traveled with enough supplies to outfit a refugee camp, why she cleaned the plane…
Yes, of course we give our slightly used clothes to the thrift shops, but MY old clothes have had a very thorough life. I only wear clothes that I love, and after many mendings they are eventually pronounced dead by a certain person who is really tired of looking at them, and mending them. And…
Uh oh. I may have just come up against the limitations of my decluttering blog. I actually don’t have this problem, so I don’t know if I can be of any help in this area. I could tell you that I keep my wardrobe under control by being frugal and organized, and claim to be all zen…
I’ve become so obsessed with the waste stream that even in the midst of tragedies, my mind goes to to the garbage issues. By now the explosion debris at the Boston Marathon has been cleaned up, but I always wonder: what about these mountainous offerings of flowers and stuffed animals that accumulate in the outpouring…
How can I write about clutter at a time like this? Well, I haven’t been, you might notice. I’ve been watching and re-watching the videos just like everyone else. Maybe not just like everyone else — I’m not sure. After a point, I made myself stop. I think for a while we do it because…
Are you sick of the pen topic? I know I am. I still want them, though. New pens, vintage pens, other people’s pens…… but I’m not giving in these days. I just drool inwardly and keep moving. I’m looking for a good pen therapist. because as I’m getting rid of all these pens — which…
You might think it’s dumb that I write about things like pen caps and sock hangers — but that would mean you were missing my larger purpose. My assignment (call it a compulsion if you must) is to scrutinize each and every little item and ask the big questions — go all the way back…
I admit i have a bit of a “thing” about collecting. There’s a-whole-nother category that lies somewhere between packratness and hoarderliness, and I’m in it. The people in this category are called “collectors” instead of packrats or hoarders because they collect things in a systematic, purposeful and orderly way, display their collections in a proud…
Note to Self: A relationship based on tolerance, compromise or settling is doomed to eventual disharmony. I have been thinking of the idea expressed in this Note to Self for quite some time. I have determined that now is the time to publish an article about it. Part of the discussion, of course, will be…
Note to Self: The flow of a healthy, abundant life cannot be experienced fully when one has a rigid mind, emotional blocks or a tense body. Over the course of my lifetime, I have become aware of myself at deeper and deeper levels to the point where I am now aware that my “real” self…