No. 10 | I feel like I have been on a mission of decluttering for years. As I consider the details and the calendar, I have in fact been on a mission of decluttering for exactly that, years. To confess, I do have some packrat tendencies to overcome.
I read each of the Kondo books. I read them before there was a Netflix special for binge-watching. They were recommended to me by a friend. To that friend, I continue to offer sincere thanks.
To be sure, I made a lot of speedy progress early on, and I cannot recommend highly enough the effort. My sock and tee shirt drawers continue to be joyful, tidy little spaces. I continue to be a folding kingpin, at least around my house. I am pleased to share that my kids have taken up at least some of these helpful “keep things tidy” habits.
I must also confess that I still have quite a long way to go. I have been going through boxes and boxes of things. Junk really. I have been throwing things away like a man fighting like mad against a hoarding instinct. Funny, as I think of it now, the problem with much of the stuff that I have been going through in the latter parts of this effort has indecision as the underlying problem. That thought has me thinking not only of the call to Tidy Up but also the call the Get Things Done. Handle a piece of paper only once and all of that.
I have made a lot of progress. I see myself getting better at deciding what needs to stay and what needs to go. There is still a lot that needs to go, but it is dwindling. So, I will keep chipping away.
This past Saturday as I was clearing out boxes and shredding unnecessary papers, I found some old songs I had written quite a long time ago. I was working through some boxes of oddities, papers, and whatnot. And there amongst all of the worthless things, a song I recall writing on a sunny day in the backyard of our old house. I went looking to see if I could find a recording of this particular song. I could not. Still, within about five minutes, I was playing and singing it. I took this as a good sign. Doing so, rediscovering this near-forgotten melody and story brought me a great deal of joy. I should refrain from saying too much about it. I need to give re-recording the tune my best shot and share it soon. Wish me luck.
I will add, I did make a quick phone recording of the tune for good measure.