Organized

I am not easy to live with. I like stuff and I was brought up by people that like stuff too. My Dad kept pieces of wood in the garage, tools he was given by other people that he MAY need one day, and a parts of anything that was foolish enough to shed a screw, plastic washer or molded part. My mother has a deep seeded fear of shredded paper or throwing away anything with her name on it. This proclivity to hoard anything that may be used at tax time has lead me to keep every email I receive or send. (I have back to 1996 on CD Roms). I see it in my brother and sister, and while all fight the urge, it usually takes a move or an angry spouse for us to shed the skin of our previous experiences and let them go.

Lise has been "uncluttering" for about 2 weeks now. She helped me empty my storage space when I was homeless and has kept me from collecting junk since then. I am relieved that I have her asking me stuff like "do you really need that, or just feel bad about throwing it out?". Ouch. Anyway, I love being organized and hate organizing things, which makes me a big pain in the butt. I'd rather keep things in order, but when they do break down, it takes serious effort on my part to find the motivation to resolve it. I wish I knew why it was, maybe it's the throwing out part, or the tough decision making (the throwing out kind) that makes me squirm. I don't get any real joy from the fact that it's completed, but I try not to mess it up again. Needless to say.... I'm really happy that we're cleaning things up, but wishing it was already done.