Just in case…

Got to keep ’em…”just in case.”

The week after Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. Why? Because to me it signals the time to begin my annual “clean out everything.” And I do mean everything.

It generally takes a few weeks but it goes like this: Christmas décor gets put away in the attic. Which leads to cleaning out the attic where I discover things like my “just in case” boxes you see pictured. While it’s good to TV boxes as they offer protection should you move, it’s the other boxes that seem to pile up. You keep them “just in case.” So, this year they’re going. (Note: the picture is only about half of them as the rest were already broken down and put in the recycle bin.)

Room by Room

The garage clean-out comes next and is actually being started today. Then, I go room by room in the house opening every drawer and cabinet, going item by item through each closet, moving everything on every shelf, touching every single item of clothing and asking if I need it or use it, do I love it, can I do without it, can someone else use it, should it be tossed or repurposed. Then items get listed for free or donated. And, of course, there’s tons of stuff that simply gets thrown away.

We’re only getting started and already I’ve given away items, donated to the thrift store, and my garage is filled with stuff that will be placed at the curb tonight and gone tomorrow.

And boy does it feel good!

I mean, it really, really feels good. I don’t live a minimalist lifestyle by any means, but as I age, I find I have less tolerance for stuff that exists to only look pretty or is no longer being used. Like the declutter queen herself Marie Kondo espouses, if it doesn’t have purpose or bring joy, then I don’t need it.

Since I’ve held this viewpoint for a decade or longer, you would think I never have anything to get rid of, but I’m also one of those who can lean a little towards a “just in case” scenario. “These are really nice, sturdy boxes, I should keep a few in case I need to ship or store something.” Here’s another one, “I’m sure I’ll lose those pesky 10 lbs. and fit into these clothes again so I really should keep them.”

My final difficult-to-get-rid of items are those for crafting. And I’m not even a big crafter. But I like to keep a few things on hand for when the grands are here and we’re looking for something to do. Yet it keeps piling up and this year I’m determined to reduce by half!

Will I succeed?

Absolutely! Decluttering, even a little, is a huge success. And while it comes naturally to some, it’s not always easy for others.

Want to give it a try? Then start with baby steps and don’t even think about sorting through things that hold a sentimental memory. Choose a room, perhaps the kitchen. Open just one drawer, empty it, clean it, then look at each item to determine if you use it or need it. I bet, like me, you’ll find some duplicate items you can pare down. Turns out I had three ice cream scoops. Does anybody really need three!

After one drawer you can decide when and if you’re ready to tackle another one. But beware…the success you’ll feel at one simple accomplishment is contagious and it won’t be long before you’ll begin tearing through the house room by room.

Happy New Year…and happy decluttering!

 In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. (Col. 3:23 NCV)

Love, Mimi

Mimi

If you want the rainbow…

This post is inspired by my precious aunt and a recent art project she worked on. I couldn’t locate the exact quote she used in her project but I sure enjoy this one by Dolly Parton, who plainly states something we can all relate to.

When my aunt shared her similar quote last week, I remember thinking She knows…because she’s encountered more storms in her life than one can imagine. In fact, she wrote a gripping memoir about her life and resulting mental health struggles. In it, she recounts the events leading up to her diagnosis with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DIDI), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Horrible as this disorder is, in many ways it’s what protected her over the years. Use this link to read her book I Was More Than One.

Most of us will never experience the kind of trauma that leads to severe emotional and mental illness. Yet we all encounter storms of ill health, loss of job, estrangement from family, and so many others. We get beaten down and held hostage in terror. And though some of these storms are mere showers or annoyances, at other times they are raging tempests that paralyze and render us hopeless.

At the risk of sounding trite, and without comparing my storms to yours, there is definitely a truth in what Dolly says. If you want the rainbow (blessing, happy ending, answered prayer) you will undoubtedly need to put up with some rain (showers or storms).

And though we can see the truth in what Dolly says, more importantly, we can find peace and hope knowing that:

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

It’s not easy to stand on God’s promises knowing we will endure affliction, but our hope remains in the One who designed our lives, who sees us where we are, who redeems every situation, and who ensures ultimate victory.

Right now, things are pretty good. I’m seeing mostly rainbows. But I know rain and storms are a part of life. My hope is that when they come—and they will—that I will stand firm, keep my eyes on God, and trust, trust, trust that He is working everything out according to His plan for my life.

Mimi

A Thrilling Announcement

I am thrilled to share with you the publication of my aunt’s amazing memoir I Was More Than One. It is now available in print and eBook through Amazon and other booksellers. This memoir depicts her lifetime battle with mental illness and how it offered her the protection and safe haven needed to cope with unimaginably tragic and difficult circumstances she encountered throughout her life.

That mental illness, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), is known to most of us as Multiple Personality Disorder.

The idea of multiple personalities at work in someone’s life is so tough to understand, but in Irene’s life, it actually provided a way for her to survive. When my aunt was unable to cope with the despair of sexual abuse by family members and other people in her life who should have been trustworthy, her mind created 16 different personalities, each providing very specific tools to help her survive her tragic circumstances.

Irene Chose to Overcome

At any time, Irene could have played the victim card; instead she chose to be an overcomer.

Her book reads like fiction but is an accurate accounting of her life and her struggle. The reader will experience a whirlwind of emotions as they learn of Irene’s hopelessness when sexually abused as a young girl, her ruined dreams of a successful marriage, and of her despair that caused her to attempt suicide, despite having a young daughter to care for.

But I Was More Than One will not leave you in anguish. Instead your spirit will soar as Irene begins her journey to health and well-being. And when you realize that instead of giving up, she chooses to fight for wellness, you will share her victory as she overcomes her circumstances and is able to integrate those 16 personalities into one whole person.

Done and Done.

For the past year, I’ve counted it a privilege to work with Irene as she did final edits and worked with a publisher to make her dream, this book, come true. As if her battle with mental illness and understanding DID wasn’t enough, it became her goal to capture her journey through a memoir and to have that memoir published. Done and done.

I Was More Than One may not be offered in your local library, so please consider purchasing either the print version or eBook through this LINK. No doubt, you will find as I did, that my aunt’s journey and book offers hope and encouragement in two ways. First, it offers hope for triumph to the many others battling severe mental health disorders. And secondly, it offers encouragement to the rest of us who when struggling with our own issues may need a good dose of it to hang in, not give up, and look for victory at the end of the fight.

Mimi