Cross posted at Blogetary:
If you're a renter in most cities then you've probably been through
the whole thing where people come through your home every year or so to
make sure the walls are not peeling paint and the toilet is not leaking
through the floor. And sometimes these visits end up with someone
announcing that walls need repainting or the floor needs to be redone,
etc., etc.
It's been fifteen years since I moved in, so it is
about time some things were done. The paint is looking a little worn, so
I wasn't surprised when this time round the guy said that the living
room and kitchen needed to be repainted. However, at first there was a
demand for it to be made within a couple of weeks of when they did the
inspection. I panicked. There was no way I was going to be able to pack
up most of my apartment, shove it to another part of my apartment, find a
place to stay for a few days with Pye and then move back in, all within
two weeks. But I requested and was given an extension (thank you!) so
that helped decrease the stress levels somewhat.
But
it still needs to be done. So, since I had helped my dad clean out some
of his things back in September I decided to make a concerted effort to
clean out things in my own apartment in October. This way I hope to
make it easier for when I need to pack up things for the big paint.
I
used to move more often, so I used to do this kind of purge more often.
And in fact, my mom used to have us go through and clean things out
once or twice a year when I was a kid. But, I had gotten settled, let go
of some of those purging habits. My purging had decreased down to
cleaning out the fridge and going through my books and movies
occasionally to see what I could sell on Amazon or donate to the Friends
of the Library book sale. So, it was time to get down to business.
It
was a good thing I did. You really don't know what you have until you
physically go through it. I knew I had cards, letters and photos from
friends and family over the course of my lifetime that I had stashed
here and there. The trouble was, I was only remembering one or two
different places where they were stashed, such as my steamer trunk, and I
had forgotten about other places, like my keepsake box and several
drawers where I'd just tossed things — which underscores why I needed to
go through "all the things" in my apartment.
- Forgotten drawer of cards, letters and photos that I opened when I thought I was close to being finished.
- Keepsake box even had photos and cards that needed to be winnowed.
- Linen
closet before the great purging of '14 with all the sheets and blankets
just tossed up on the shelves where I couldn't reach them unless I got
out a ladder.
- Closet
after I had brought sheets and blankets down to put into the steamer
trunk, and then gone through the cards and photos in the trunk and
organized them in the tubs and put them up out of reach since I rarely
need them.
I decided to focus on winnowing the cards,
letters and photos first because I knew for a fact that they had gotten
out of hand. But I also went through and cleaned out my clothes closet,
my dresser, the bathroom cabinet, my jewelry and some of the kitchen
shelves. It was amazing, to me, how much of an archeological "dig" it
was to go through all these things. It wasn't just a purging, it was an
emotional dredging up of memories and emotions I — some I had completely
forgotten about. I found letters my best friend and I had written each
other in grade school and junior high. I found my old diary from grade
school and had to set everything aside to read that. The Valentine card I
got from one of my very first big crushes made me stop and sigh for a
bit. I found family history notes, cards from friends and photos of
events I had completely forgotten about. It was one of the most
difficult nonpaying jobs I have ever had to do. It was worth it.
I
ended up throwing out about thirteen to fifteen large garbage bags of
stuff (and I might still end up tossing out more before the Great Purge
ends). Some of it I may regret tossing out (like the inflatable mattress
I used to use for guests, but really, who is comfortable on those
things?). I did not use the donate/sell/toss/keep method; that takes
time and a car to take things to the different places where they need to
be dropped off and then trying to deal with people online when selling
your stuff (something I only have patience with when it comes to books).
So, instead I used the
"Does it spark joy?" method.
No need to decide on a pile. Just an easy Aye or Nay when faced with
all this stuff. Aye — I keep it. Nay — straight to the garbage. The
company that picks up our Dumpster for the apartment building actually
goes through and sorts what is in there into garbage and recycle, so I
didn't feel bad about just stuffing it into bags and hauling it
downstairs and into the bin.
Other than
the closet pictured above, you can't really see a difference. It's all
the little cupboards, drawers and cabinets where the purging can truly
be felt. They're more organized, less cluttered, and easier to find the
things I want to use more often. For example, the violin music has moved
from the bottom of a milk crate in the back of a kitchen cabinet to a
drawer in the living room where it lives with my chin rests and music
stand. My manuscript print outs have gone from a disorganized pile to a
file box right next to where I need them to be. My craft supplies are
right next to them. My sewing machine and kit are now the only things
hiding under my kitchen table.
But the little archeological finds are now cleaned up, processed, labeled so I can visit them again when I need to.
