Everyone celebrates spring’s arrival, excited to walk out of winter’s white into a world full of color. Greens; in blades of grass, continuing upwards into the tiny leaves on bushes,
and culminating in green leaves on treetops. Purples, reds, and orange budding flowers burst like fireworks from the ground. Yellows of forsythia, daffodils, and dandelions. Sky washed blues with passing puffy clouds of white.
Our eyes inhale the beauty of color around us.
The snow recedes from lower Michigan, (at least from my neighborhood), proclaiming that the unofficial dawn of Clutter Clean Up has arrived.
Bright, yellow dandelions pop up overnight, blooming next to tossed litter and crumpled branches. The jarring discord propels neon vested civic workers into action. Scrambling over the countryside bordering our highways, they feverishly snatch up the embarrassing exposed debris, allowing the beauty of spring to shine through.
How quickly the grounds are tidied up. How fresh the outdoors look.
But what about indoors?
The spotlight of spring sunshine also shines into my winter habitat, revealing a discord of clutter unknowingly accumulated over the past months. Exposed is a drab assortment of bits and bobs and other unnecessary items. Once these things
brought comfort, like a cozy blanket, but now they are no longer needed.
I rush to my notebook, aptly named: Clear the Clutter: Master the Mess, started in 2021, at another spring awakening.
In this notebook is a record of my yearly efforts to master the mess. Without this the advances I made may have been forgotten.
Even by me.
The thing about clearing the clutter, mastering the mess, and cleaning is: it doesn’t last.
To maximize the joy of my efforts, I found I should clean and declutter, very quickly. Pull on the rubber gloves, wash the windows, vacuum the dust, toss items I haven’t used all year.
Do it fast. Do it quickly. I can’t let other activities interrupt my drive until I’ve gone through the ENTIRE house!
Like I said, I’ve had this notebook since 2021. Only four pages have entries of successful decluttering. I’ve never made it through my ENTIRE house. Not even in a week. Or two,… or…
My efforts were interrupted, like writing in the sand on the beach, the next wave erases all signs of progress. One mess, easily replaced the other.The notebook reminds me I did do something, which provides some joy of accomplishment.
Since I couldn’t completely declutter the ENTIRE house, I took a different strategy, which was to do one little declutter or cleaning thing a day and VOILA, I hoped to find myself in a neatly organized, clean house.
Sigh.
Not quite. I have four pages on record for the last 5 years of attempting this strategy.
So, I take a deep breath as I look around the house again. Maybe this spring, for sure, this spring. I will clear the clutter and master the mess?
If not, I console myself with a semi-applicable quote from Albert Einstein:
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
Clear the Clutter and Master the Mess, if you want.
But I found that if that’s all you do, that’s all you’ll have.
Remember to take the time to be kind and love the people around you. Stay focused on the important things that last.
Please feel free to share your comments and spring cleaning tips in the comment box below. Thanks for stopping by to read!
There’s nothing I love more than a clean, organized space. However, it’s always an ongoing thing. Neat and tidy spaces evolve into messy ones, the work never ending. I love how you added some recordkeeping to the mix!
Sue Agauas 
There’s nothing I love more than a clean, organized space. However, it’s always an ongoing thing. Neat and tidy spaces evolve into messy ones, the work never ending. I love how you added some recordkeeping to the mix!
LikeLiked by 1 person