Clutter

From Wikipedia, the definition of clutter : Excessiveness and physical disorder:
A confusing or disorderly state or collection; or the creation thereof. Excessive, unnecessary or uncontrolled clutter in a home or office is a sign of compulsive hoarding.

I am a self-proclaimed 'packrat'. I had a big problem with clutter. I blame this problem almost entirely on my father (love you dad :) My dad comes by it honestly because his mother (my Grandmother) never throws anthing away. Now, Grandma has a much healthier version of my disease. Because she didn't grow up having much, she refuses to waste anything!! I was told that once the town actually accused her of turning her water meter back by hand because there was no way that someone used so little water. She was quite offended by the accusation. My grandma is not a liar and would certainly not try to cheat anyone out of money! She simply uses VERY little of anything. She collects rainwater to water her plants. She puts her dishwater in basins so that it can be reused elsewhere. She saves her milk bags to store vegetables in the fridge...are you getting the idea?? She is an incredible woman.

My dad always taught us to turn out the lights when we weren't using them, to shut the water off when brushing our teeth between rinses, to keep the door closed in the winter. He is also a great collector. I remember he collected stamps, airplane circular thingys, records, and now John Deere Tractors (I'm sure there were other things I cannot recall at the moment).

After 2 generations, this useful strategy of saving things (electricity, water, heat), has gone woefully wrong. I am a terribly cluttered person. I hope that I would not be labeled a compulsive hoarder!!, but I have been known to collect things. As a child I had every collection under the sun. I collected stickers, stamps, erasers, hockey cards, dolls, doll clothes, barbies, rocks, shells and stuffed animals. I took very good care of my things. My collections would always be organized and I had a certain place where each stuffed animal slept in my bed (I'm surprised I was able to fit...my daughter has inherited this one!). I had a difficult time letting things go.

Now as an adult with a whole house to fill with junk, I can see that my clutter has become out of control. When I did a search on google to find a good picture of clutter I was astounded by the number of books, forums and clutter-ridding professionals are out there. I really need to hire one of those. I would LOVE to go through my house and get rid of half of my 'stuff', and believe me, I've tried. My problem is that I just CAN'T DO IT! I look at something and think "oh, I'll use that", or "that would be good for such and such", blah blah blah. I know, it's all excuses. I need to be on that show on TLC where they force you to get rid of stuff. Seriously.

The clutter in my house has gotten exponentially worse with having children. Toys and children's clothes clutter my home. Clothes sorted into boxes by seasons, age and sex X 3 kids. Can you imagine what I'm talking about?? I can attest to the fact that physical clutter causes emotional clutter and stress. I often feel like my mind is so full of lists, and things to do and STUFF that I can't think straight. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? My friends laugh because I'm trying to read 3 books at a time, I always have several crafts on the go and I always have a big "to-do" list that rarely ever gets done. I've always been good at starting things...not so good at finishing them.

Sometimes I think that clutter and collecting for me is my inner self trying to feel 'complete'. I think...oh, if I just get this thing, my life will improve so much. Silly, I know, believe me, I know! Maybe there is some deeply psychological reason for my 'hoarding'. More than the fact that I'm a sentimental fool and can't let things go.

So...this blog post is my confession. My name is Melanie and I'm a Cluttered Packrat. If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it! Just a warning...if you tell me to throw something out I'll have several good reasons to keep it! I may even get defensive and angry. Maybe I need to get a subscription to clutter magazine, or buy the book "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui". I'm sure none of my friends are going to want to tackle this project :) I'll let you know how it goes.

Mel