Sunday, November 02, 2008

Pack Rat

A photo of Heidi at age 5.
Oh, my! Where do I begin?
Pat pushing back part of the mess.
Aunt Liz sorted through thousands of photos.
Everything you see here came out of that closet!
All neat and tidy.
Okay, a couple of my kids have the same problem as I - - we have a hard time getting rid of "things." Over the years I have moved 18 times. Wow! I don't think I had ever tallied it before. But with each move, one throws a few things out, right? Well, that's sounds good, but then after those treasures are tossed, remorse sets in. Oh, how I wish I still had A, B, C, or X.

I guess over the past several years, I have maintained this attitude, "Out of sight, out of mind. Who is this bothering?"

The only one of my offspring who has commented on the way I keep my closets (or don't keep them - depends on how you look at it) is Heidi. I don't know from whom she inherited it, but she has no problem with tossing away things. She even has EMPTY kitchen cabinets!!

Yesterday my dear cousin, Pat, and Aunt Liz, came over for the day and we tackled the closet in my cottage. I know this closet was in horrible shape because I had to quickly slide the door closed to keep the contents inside! Yes, I was ashamed. But Pat and Aunt Liz have this incredible gift of organizing. They have always amazed me. This project took most of the day, and a lot of junk was tossed, but some treasures were uncovered too. Among things we found my childhood doll, my dad's home movies, and an unfinished counted cross-stitch project I have been looking for for at least three years! Shame, shame on me.

2 comments:

MamaD4 said...

Hans is a bit of a packrat, but I think I'm getting him around to my way of thinking...getting rid of stuff that we don't use. Since we move every two years or thereabouts, we have to travel light.

I didn't even realize there was a closet back there! I'm glad that you did some cleaning. It is a good feeling to lighten the load and know where everything is.

Now just make sure you keep it organized and you'll be fine!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Terrific! Not only am I glad that you got some sorting, tossing (along with the 'discoveries'), and cleaning done, but you had a couple of efficient 'assistants' who, I know were a BIG bonus of help, no doubt! And, I'm with mamad4 to "make sure you keep up on it..." Good job, and again, congratulations! :)