Decluttering and Tidying

Assignment 3: Declutter the living room, the car, and one other shared space.

The car was easy--and fun. I emptied out the glove compartment and that "box" between the seats. Didn't find anything useful. It was mostly filled with stuff my Mother had had there before she gave me the car two years ago. (shhhh). I returned some things and got a $24 gift card from Home Depot--nice! I have a few things which I want to return to my mother left in it: but soon it will be empty and clear for my groceries which will be fabulous.

The living room, on the other hand, was not fun.

I went through the boxes on the TV stand

and came up with a few CDs and DVDs.

(Yes, LOST! I don't think I'll want them in the nursing home--the next time I think I'd actually watch it. I put them up for sale. And a toy flip phone. I've hung onto that for years. The kids loved it.)

Mostly, the room just needed some tidying and a whole lot of straightening.

But these shelves, flanking the fireplace, are causing me a bit of grief.

I mean, they aren't the sort of thing that belongs in a minimalist household, now are they? There are meaningful things --and things which are not--but I still like them immensely and think they add a lot to the coziness of the room. 

And it occurred to me, not for the first time, to wonder why I am in this course. First, I am really enjoying all the energy from my fellow participants--it's so positive and encouraging. But, as I listened to our Webinar Thursday night, it occurred to me that perhaps I am taking this course to settle in my mind, once and for all, that perhaps I really am done minimizing-- (at least as far as our living spaces re concerned. I don't think the basement will ever be "done.") and I can move on with my life, in some other way. I don't know. I am going to continue to mull it over.

For my third communal area, I decided to tidy up the area immediately outside the bathroom.(Which is coming along, by the way. The toilet tank is giving us a great deal of trouble with leaks and such. The mirror is also on hold for a bit.)

We were not able to access the only two closets we have on this floor for all this stuff piled in front of them. Again, it was a case of taking the time to truck everything down to the basement and just put things away. I also got about two small shopping bags of garbage. I kept back the supplies we need for the last few projects.

I am so relieved.

Next up: The bedroom.