Hoarders

It's really good for me to watch the show Hoarders on TV. I think there is a tiny bit of hoarder mentality in all of us. We keep things we don't need just in case we might need them SOME day, so watching people whose homes and lives are out of control because of their need to keep "stuff" helps me keep perspective.

In my experience, it only takes two years to totally fill up an empty house. When the last of one's parents dies, or an adult child (with children) moves in, we end up incorporating their things with our things--and suddenly, there is no space left for a single other item to enter the house! I said several years ago that I was going to adopt the policy that something had to go for every new thing that came in. Have I followed that? Uh....well...not really.

I keep bedrooms for my grandchildren in my house. We remodeled and redecorated every bedroom and the garage when they moved in with me. When they moved out, I wasn't about to change their rooms. I kept them, as is, as their home-away-from-home when they came to visit. They would arrive, play like crazy for a day or two, clean up by shoving things under the beds or in closets, and leave. Over the years, the rooms have collected huge amounts of pieces of toys--some of them tiny and unrecognizable. (Did I mention that the rooms are small?) It became obvious that a deep-clean was needed. Where to start???

One of the things that bugs me is that I am finding Christmas gifts that are a year or two old that the children have never touched. Time to pare down, I guess. While they are here, they might rediscover something for a few minutes, but it doesn't last long. Robin plays with teeny-tiny things and creates her own little world of imagination. Ryan mostly just trashes stuff. To him, everything is replaceable, so I need to think about that before I contribute to it. (I just spent quite a bit on money on stocking stuffers that won't mean a thing two hours after the stockings are unpacked!!! Do I ever learn??)

I've spent some time today working on Ryan's room. OMG! I have found the most amazing things...dirty underwear behind the door...the lower-leg zippered part of a pair of pants that I threw out because I couldn't find the part...toy parts everywhere, including little tiny beads from a craft set that he only played with once, two years ago. And do you know what I have found myself doing? Sorting the parts to put them all together! Why?? He wouldn't even know they were gone if I just threw them out! But, ever my father's daughter, I can't just throw things out. I gather them together to take to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Can you see my halo??

I really feel the need to de-clutter. As I go through things, I realize that I still have a lot of items that rightfully belong with my daughter. (She doesn't have room for them, either!) Still, I set them aside and take them up when I go. Maybe someday, it will all shake out. Hope I live that long!!

Thank God I'm not a hoarder, but I do need to start evaluating everything in the house for value. I picked up something today and asked, "What am I keeping THIS for??" It's a start!