Clearing Clutter Space by Space
On New Year’s Day, January 1, 2023, my wife and I made sure to commemorate the day. We called family members and ate dinner at a favorite local diner. Also, we took time to pray and remember those we’d lost along the way, including my dear mother-in-law to cancer in April 2022. If the maxim is true that a new year is more likely to follow the form of its first day, then 2023 should fare nicely. But one additional task I completed was cleaning the corner behind our living room couch.
This corner had been neglected for far too long. When cleaning, I was able to scrape out several cardboard boxes, several old dog toys and pet grooming supplies(we have not had a dog now for several months), and an old tote bag from 2013. A trip to the recycle bin and a solid vacuuming reestablished this as a clear, spotless corner. We could fit in a small coffee table to other unit there now. Who knew clearing out ten square feet could be so refreshing!
This is a tried and true method of making progress towards goals — especially those popular hefty New Year’s resolutions. As the saying goes: “inch by inch, it’s a cinch, yard by yard, it’s too hard.” And certainly this is a reliable method to clear out clutter that builds over the course of each of our personal journeys. How much clutter gradually builds up in ur homes, relationships, workplaces, and deeper selves? Is it not the straws that pile up one by one that break the camel’s back? So, why not just start small and work to remove one straw at a time? This often applies in personal weight-loss, fitness, or physical health goals. Rebuilding relationships or group connections is also a piecemeal process. It also applies to individuals or groups recovering from hardship or disaster.
Sure, there might be instances demanding “yard-by-yard” instead of “inch-by-inch“ efforts. Business owners might need to invest big for a “make it or break it” growth moment. Athletes train for multi-kilometer marathons or other epic feats. There are even whole store-chains devoted to selling to customers in bulk. Many times, health conditions might require aggressive treatments. But even for so many grand feats, preparation and training is done by smaller steps.
I have been decluttering many areas of my life and self for years now. Debris from past unimaginable nightmares once crowded numerous corners of my mind and heart to the point where cobwebs and dustpiles accumulating made me uncomfortable to breathe in my own skin. But through clearing out the clutter corner by corner, I have experienced new light and music to once again shine in my self’s deeper parts. I am happy with myself, proud of the life I am living, and humbled by the good I have been able to do. I am just beginning. I am looking forward to how much more clutter I can clear and small steps I can take in 2023 and beyond. I can clear more clutter and make greater steps in growth within myself, my home, in relationships to others, and in the greater world. I pray all find many opportunities to do this in kind in their own lives.
