It's All My Fault

One of my friends blames me for the current state of her homes, and a second may soon join her. What did I do? I talked about the Great Purge taking place at my apartment.

This evening on the way home from the second trip in three days to the Container Store in White Plains, I stopped by Friend A's apartment to pick up some CD/DVD holders that she is getting rid of. Her DVDs are now in a self-contained case, which takes up about 1/3 the space of the small baskets they were in before. Mine are now in a single wire-mesh basket rather than taking up an entire shelf of my desk unit. It is amazing how clearing that one shelf and putting everything in two wire-mesh baskets visually opens up not just the shelf, but the whole corner (my computer CDs and a couple of other odds and ends are in the second basket, thus consolidating more STUFF).

Meanwhile, A's apartment looks like mine did last weekend, except that she has twice the space I do, if not more. There's a full garbage bag sitting outside her front door waiting to go out to the curb for collection. There is at least one on the floor being filled. She has de-junked most of her drawers and reworked one end of her big closet with new wire shelves. Her home is in a state of upheaval, and it is all my fault.

And then there is Friend B, who has lived in his home for 23 years (I feel like such a nomad compared to him!). He said he has been inspired to at least consider how he is going to tackle his basement. I told him I am available to consult.

Even Mom is talking about undertaking a purge. That, however, is not my fault.

This evening, after reorganizing the DVDs, I took out bag number 5 of trash--mostly the empty DVD clamshells. Bag number 6 sits in front of the fireplace half-full. The actual purge has slowed down. Mostly I am reorganizing. Of course, that process also results in getting rid of some more stuff. However, it is nowhere near the amount that has already been tossed or is sitting in four 35-gallon plastic tubs. The tubs will go to Goodwill in a week or two, once I have finished the reorganization process, at which point the Purge should be pretty much done as well.

I even found a couple of things I'd stashed away for gifts at Christmas. I had all but forgotten them. Now I have a whole drawer that holds future gifts.

Next: Tackling the Clothes Closet.

Peace,
Jeffri