A New Year Begins

It's hard to believe it's been more than a month since I last posted to this blog. Christmas was great. The kids got more than they needed, as did Rob and I. We have been truly blessed by our friends and family in the past year.

Sometimes I think the best part of New Year's Day is that it reminds us to stop and reflect on the year that we are leaving behind. What did we accomplish? What did we want to accomplish, but fell short of? And in all of that what blessings do we have to carry into a new year?

While they past is behind us, it's not to be forgotten. Each year is filled with joys and hardships. They don't always balance out, but we can always learn from them if we are willing.

One of my biggest lessons of 2009 has been something I should have learned years ago when I first became a fan of The Flylady. You can't organize clutter. But what have I spent the past year being frustrated over? My inability to organize my clutter.

I tend to hold on to things I shouldn't for many reasons. Sometimes I just worry that I will hurt the feelings of the person who gave me an item, even though that item doesn't really fit in my life or home anymore. Other times it was just easier to put an item in a box and shove it behind a closed door than to have to deal with the emotional baggage that goes along with it. Or any number of other reasons and excuses for not dealing with my clutter.

I have joined a challenge on a forum I belong to. It's called the 365 Days of Decluttering challenge. The object is to declutter one thing from your home every day for the whole year. It's not super strict. If you have to miss a day, and we all know that will happen, just declutter extra to make up for it then next time.

It's embarrassing to admit this, but I'm afraid that I have much more than 365 things to get rid of in my home. But I have a mission. I need to do as much as I can by fall. I need to have a space to teach my children.

I did get a good start today as we finally took down the Christmas tree. I went from two storage totes full of things (many that haven't been used in a few years at least) to one tote and one bakery box. I decluttered three strands of lights, and at lease two dozen ornaments that were overly cheap to begin with and out lived their usefulness long ago. Also some window clings that haven't worked in years due to being stored improperly and a candle holder that has only been used once since I got it.

I think the year is off to a good start. Anyone want to join me? Even if you don't think you have 365 things to declutter, think how much easier it will be to clean and organize your house if you get rid of your excess clutter however little or much that may be.