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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Sept 20, 2008 20:39:56 GMT -5
Hello to All!
I just wanted to write an update to my story, since joining the SoS website 3 weeks ago. First of all, I would like to say that this is the most caring, non-judgmental, encouraging and supportive group of people on the planet! Thank you all, for the support you have given and continue to give to me, and the other community members.
The SoS website has been truly life transforming for me. Listening to other people's stories, seeing my own twisted patterns, and verbalizing/giving shape to what was formerly just an emotional, guilt ridden fog, gave clarity to so many parts of my situation.
So week one, I took 4 days to declutter my bedroom, as in a prior post getting rid of countless items. 7 Hefty bag size trash bags gone. The racks where I had piled other stuff are also dismantled, getting rid of my stuff meant I didn't need them. I haven't re-cleaned this room, I have done 2 loads of wash a week, which is all I have, there are some things starting to accumulate on the floor.
So, I realize that my system for my clothes needs adjustment. I dress very informally during the day, I get very messy at my job so I'm constantly looking for my "work" clothes. I need to store them in a better spot, easier to grab, rather that rifling through a ton of stuff I would wear out to dinner. I'm going to do that tonight, tweak my bedroom system.
In week 1, I spent the 4th and 5th day (labor day) cleaning my "office" room, piled high with all kinds of crap. That room still isn't done, but I threw out at least 5 large trash bags from there, and made a few boxes of stuff to sell, and gave away some new things that I never used ( i must have had like 300 candles, no idea why I compulsively bought/hoarded them.) This room is very draining, it is my memorabilia mausoleum, I've saved every letter/postcard/greeting card I've ever received. This room will take me a while to do, lots of emotional baggage there.
On labor day, after cleaning all morning/afternoon, I went to a barbecue at my mom's, and smoked my last cigarette on the way to her house....so I haven't had a cigarette in 18 days!! Woo hoo!
Not only that, but when I got to my mom's I confessed to her that I was a hoarder, and had this problem, CHAOS and all that. When I told her about the hoarding, she said, "my mother had that," and was very understanding about how I felt emotional attachment to objects. She told me I had been that way since I was a child, which I knew, but I never thought she noticed, or just thought I was a slob. When I told her I had CHAOS, she beamed and said, Hey! Does that mean I can come over? When!!
I cannot tell you what a weight had been lifted off my shoulders at that moment. I was "out of the closet" so to speak.
During the next few days, the workweek, I didn't do too much, threw away a few things, kept the trash out, enjoyed my new bedroom, hey whats that big thing?? That's the FLOOR! Wow,...
The next weekend,however, I tackled my DESK, what a job! I have the officey room upstairs, still too cluttered to use, downstairs in my living room I have a computer armoire, which I bought thinking I could hide my clutter, and it just got to the point where I couldn't even close the doors, it was jammed with crap/trash.
I cleaned that out completely, and organized all my bills, got everything up to date, I still need to come up with some kind of system for paperwork, I have lots of that stored in file boxes. I found 5 PAIRS of nail clippers in my desk, how many does one person need at their fingertips...especially when they get professional manicure/pedicure?? Ok, I'm nutty, I know. So I got rid of them, and also about a zillion ashtrays!! No more ciggie butts all over the place.
I am delighted to report that my computer armoire system WORKS! No adjustment necessary, last weekend I paid my bills neatly, and on time, and got rid of the paperwork on the spot. I also tackled the spillover zones, which were 2 tables I had next to the computer armoire to handle all the overflow....they are no longer needed! This took me an entire weekend to do, and I'm telling you, every half hour I was here on SoS looking for encouragement! It worked!
Last weekend, I completely dismantled my kitchen. I mean took every single thing out of every cupboard, all of it! My boyfriend and I worked on it for 3 days relentlessly. I live in a cabin, and have a tiny tiny kitchen, smallest kitchen in the world really. I have a base cabinet with 3 drawers, one for silverware, the other drawers can accept baking dishes/pots. The problem was that mice had gotten in there, so I hadn't used them in the longest time, it was all poopy in there with remnants of mouse poison. We took the drawers completely out, and filled in with wood and caulked everything closed so they can't get back in. I'll always have a problem with mice, my little cabin is very rustic, so when the weather changes, they get in, I've been trying to seal things up, but any little knothole in my plank floor is like a highway to them.
Anyway, after caulking, I cleaned the crap out of those drawers with pine sol, and Formula 409. They cleaned up beautifully, I put liner paper in, and hey, my silverware is in the silverware drawer now! Imagine that! Not strewn all over the table, or stored in pots in the stove!
I have one 30 inch by 30 inch cabinet with glass doors, and 2 30 inch by 15 inch "over the stove" type cabinets, and that's it! Oh, and I have a base cabinet under the sink that was also moused up, which we disinfected, caulked and organized.
So, my boyfriend does not drink coffee (and I'm the weirdo?) and he doesn't like coffee mugs (??) he prefers glasses. I had no less than 40 coffee mugs....he suggested I get rid of some of them, like maybe 35 of them. My reaction? you guessed it, freak out time! Quick! Get over to SoS! Calmed myself down, admitted that he was right, and gleaned it down to 11 mugs. That's the best I could do ! The rest I gave away to his brother, who apparently appreciates the diversity of the coffee mug.
I got rid of countless chipped and cracked plates, got it down to 8 plates, and found a home for my appliances, a real challenge in a small kitchen. But I did it, I'm doing it, I can see the difference, it's amazing, its coming together little by little!
This weekend, I'm going to tweak the bedroom, and mop my downstairs floor. I can't believe it, my downstairs is actually presentable now....sure I need to mop, there's mystery goo caked onto the kitchen floor, but there won't be come Sunday.
How many people bought a Roomba/Scooba thinking this was the answer to all our prayers? I know I did, but the problem is that you can't have a ton of crap in the way or Roomba has no where to go. With a little more work, Roomba may be able to do his job as originally intended!!
So that's been the past 3 weeks for me, sorry to be so long winded, but it's been a very positive time of change, and it feels great to see something happen. I have a LONG way to go (basement packed with junk, not to mention an entire other building, we'll get into that later) but I can baby step it, and so can we all.
It's so nice to sit and have a quiet cup of coffee in the morning with one of my 11 mugs and look around and not see the filth. It's a great feeling.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
A postcard of Gratitude from the Edge,
GhettoFabulous Marvelous, just marvelous !-
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Post by skatters on Sept 20, 2008 21:30:50 GMT -5
Your story is incredibly uplifting! Quitting smoking, and cleaning/uncluttering ?!?! Asking for help from your boyfriend? Letting your mom in on your secret? I am impressed! You truly are an inspiration. I like that you updated your original thread. Please continue to update us... Lioness said it best... Marvelous!
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Post by razy on Sept 21, 2008 3:18:28 GMT -5
What a wonderful inspirational story! Well done
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Post by limegreen on Sept 21, 2008 20:56:46 GMT -5
40 coffee mugs? Maybe I could have paired them with some of my 62 teaspoons. And I get terrible pangs of regret letting anything go, like I hurt its feelings. Do teaspoons even have feelings? You are doing great!
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