This evening as I was cleaning up, I felt like I had one of those a-ha moments! The house was messy as it very often is at the end of the day with a 3 year old, a 5 year old and a mama who enjoys sewing much much more than cleaning. I was in the play-room picking up toys next to one box in particular.
This box (much to Jason's annoyance) is still in our house 6 months after it arrived here. It was left by the mailman, who was delivering parcels on a particularly happy-mail day and once emptied of its contents, it got left in the playroom where it got quickly filled with new items, picked up by me from the floor as a *waiting area* until their final destination could be decided.
It has gotten fuller and fuller over the last 6 months and general low-level maintenance has happened on it a few times - namely going it through it very roughly when it was overspilling and throwing away a few broken items. But, thing is, because its still there - it keeps getting filled back up - its just too easy.
We have drawers and cupboards just like the box also - items are shovelled in because they are needed to be gone now - rather than the time taken to sort/fold/properly tidy and put in the right place. (I hasten to add, this is all my doing, Mr B is far to meticulously clean and organised for things to not go back in their place, even if it does take a little longer than my tidy-ups!)
I will usually avoid these cupboards and drawers - I don't want to look at them, and once the doors are closed on them, it looks tidy and thats what matters when visitors come right?! The junk is hidden from view and appearances are presentable, all good.
But one day, you are going to get sick of the drawers not closing or the cupboards overspilling when the doors are opened and the avoidance of those places - along with the other areas of the house which start getting filled up with much of the same because those areas are full.
And thats when you finally get around to sorting things out - really sorting, sitting down, devoting some time and attention to go through the whole thing and make a decision whether you really need to hang on to that broken toy, or mismatched game any longer and even start looking at why you were hanging on to it in the first place...woah?!
About 8 weeks ago I committed to a 9 month programme - one in which you tidy your own house, meticulously - moving the furniture to vacuum instead of just going up to the edge of the sofa, going through the cupboards and drawers, allowing trusted friends to see your house just the way it is when they pop around to say hi, instead of stressing out and cleaning (whilst simultaneously *motivating* the kids to do the same) so appearances are prettier when they arrive.
The programme is called Celebrate Recovery and I already feel previlidged to have been a part of it for the past 2 months - to walk a journey with 11 other amazing and inspirational ladies who I have come to trust with all my heart.
Tidying may take a little longer in our house right now, but I am comfortable with the fact that what you see is what you get and with that comes a real sense of freedom.
