Declutter? Or do I keep it all?

Here I am once again at the beginning of another year. Time to declutter.

Time once again to re-organize my locker, my closet and my mind. Seems that I go through this thought process every year, and at the end of every year, I am back to where I started.

Nothing has changed. I have neither organized my locker nor decluttered my closet. Instead, I have accumulated more stuff and even gained a pound or two.

A couple of weeks ago while driving to the grocery store, I listened intently to a self-proclaimed declutter “guru” about how to go about getting rid of things. She said one has to keep in mind three things, “use; use–sometimes; and never use”.

Once that has been established, then one can organize things into three piles.

This then automatically eliminates one pile right off the bat, that is the “never use” pile.

Then she said one has to very carefully and seriously evaluate the “sometimes use” pile.

How old it is, when was the last time I used it, or wore it?

Once I am confident that the item is of little use then it is time to discard it.

The problem with all this great advice is that the things I deem as “never use or sometimes use”, might be just the thing I will need. What if I throw it away today only to find that I will need that same thing next week?

Seems to me that in the past when I have discarded something, it was not long before I went looking for it only to remember that I had thrown it away.

As for my clothes, well I still like all the things in my closet. If I hadn’t liked them, I would never have purchased them in the first place.

Some of my pants and tops are indeed tight and a little uncomfortable to wear, and it is also true that I can no longer pull up the zipper on a few of my pants. However, what if this year I really will lose those extra pounds I am carrying around?

If I do, I will have many semi-new clothes in my cupboard just waiting to be worn. The truth is this has become a perennial and unfulfilled plan.

This year I am confident that I will achieve my goal and discard the pounds instead of my clothes.
It is a favorite fantasy of mine and I have convinced myself that what I can imagine will become a reality.

So far this has not worked. Of course, I know that to achieve my goal I have to have a workable plan.

I also know that exercise will have to be included in my plan. Get outside and walk, or at least use that stationary bike that sits waiting for me in the corner of my room.

Yep, a lot of things to consider.

My niece Colleen, who is a very wise young woman, told me that a proper plan, willpower and perseverance will make all the difference between fantasy and reality.

Walking outside today is out of the question. It is -30C below.
Ugh!

To think there was a time when I stood out in weather like this waiting for the bus to take me to work.
Well, I could walk the halls or walk around the garage. Somehow that just does not appeal to me. Driving to a mall to do the same thing is also out of the question.

On days like this, I stay home. I have earned the right to this self-indulgence from all the times when I had no choice but to put up with such a deep freeze.

There will be plenty of time to walk outside when spring comes and that is only another two months away. I can wait until then.

Things have certainly changed for me during this last decade. I don’t believe that I was ever a vain person, but I did like to dress as well as I could and I was always particular about my appearance.

Comfort rather than appearance is the order of the day now. So, what if I am heavier than I should be? What if I have slowed down somewhat in my everyday activities? What if there are lines etched into my face? It’s all OK. This is part of the progression of my life.

There are reasons why the lines are there, I’ve been through a lot in my life and I am still here to talk about it.

Onward into the new year. Maybe at the end of this year, I will be slimmer, stand a little taller, or win the lotto!

Well, I can dream, can’t I?