Lose 200 lbs This Weekend!

On the Jukebox: "Besame Mucho" by Diana Krall
Quote: "I think most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare." ~ So I Married an Axe Murder
Flair: Kismet

The way I see it there are only two ways to lose 200lbs in one weekend: 1) declutter your home or 2)dump your packrat. May I suggest #1?

I have learned from my personal experience that people hoard things for many different reasons. Take me for example: I hoard cats because Ernest Hemingway once said that one cat just leads to another. I'm up to 3 now! It wasn't until I began my formal training in psychology that I made the connection as to why it is so hard for some of us to let go of stuff. We all recognize that a person that lives in a home where newspapers and magazines are stacked from floor to ceiling is probably mentally ill. It's harder to deal with those who are just clutter challenged.

Some of us hold onto things out of fear. We lived through times of scarcity or heard the stories of the great depression. Some of us are sentimental and can't part with the items because we might loose our memories as well. There are others who never learned to say no to free stuff, good bargains, or hand me downs because it might offend someone. When something has outlived its usefulness it's time to let it go. When you don't need it, again let it go. When it is dated or doesn't reflect who you are, let it go. Repeat after me: LET IT GO! Do not spend good money to store junk. Do not bring junk into your home. Everything you own should serve a purpose. You do not need duplicates of everything.

The only thing I'm guilty of keeping is the beaters to all my mixers that die BUT when we bake sometimes we need 3 sets of beaters to make the batters, mousse fillings, and frostings. This takes up little space in the drawer and saves time on not having to stop and clean the one set of beaters. I'll admit I have been a bit obsessive compulsive in decluttering my house. I grew up in a house that lacked organization - mainly because there were many occupants and not enough storage space. Things were constantly in flux.

As Americans we believe in the pursuit of material possessions. Some of us try to keep up with the Jones. We upgrade our old computers but won't let go of the worthless boat anchors. We get the latest cell phones but keep the old one just in case. We convert our 80's music to MP3s but still have the vinyl or cassettes. Yikes! We need to learn that sometimes less is more. We don't need so much stuff. I own 4 coats of different weights and lengths. I think that's plenty. I helped a friend sort through her coat closet the other day and she had 3-4 times as many. I'm sure the women's shelter will be very grateful to get her donation.

I'll definitely come back to this topic of clutter, excess, and organization again. I was just thinking that spring is around the corner and maybe I could challenge everyone to do some really deep spring cleaning. Start with a clean, clutter free home and then work on letting go of some of your emotional baggage.