Are you a clutterer? Take a look at this 20-question quiz. Most clutterers will answer in the affirmative to at least three questions. I answered "yes" to four.
I became interested in this topic after reading this article on msn.com today. There seem to be 12 steps involved, and I wonder how much of this organization's philosophy is adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous.
My roommate David will be pleased to see me publicly admit I have some clutterer tendencies. Most notably, I save containers. Shoeboxes, Altoid tins, cardboard mailing tubes...all of these things are undoubtedly useful. I keep quarters in an Altoid tin in the car. My shoe-polish and buffing brush goes in a shoebox in the closet, and the mailing tube....well, that is still propped up in a corner of my room--but I know I'll find a use for it!
Maybe my problem isn't that I find useful purposes for old containers. It's when I keep containers that I still haven't found a use for. After all, my friends started teasing me only when there were ten empty Altoid tins stacked on the shelf. I can still hear Jenni's voice playfully mocking me, "But, but...I can use them to store buttons!"
On the other hand, people like my brother-in-law J.T. inspire me. A rigorous sense of neatness and order permeates J.T. and Charity's house. And there's my cousin Robby, now a sophomore in college, whose desk is always neat and well-stocked with an arsenal of freshly-sharpened pencils.
Is this unattainable for regular people like me? Perhaps not. Perhaps a first step would be throwing out that mailing tube. Properly disposing of or filing my mail the day I get it. And yes, parting with those Altoid tins squirreled away from David's probing eye.
4 comments:
Tell me all those Altoid tins pictured there aren't the ones you've "squirreled away!" That's quite a collection....
You don't do any ritualized hand-washing or door locking/unlocking tendencies do you? Just curious...
No, I found this photo of the Altoid tins on the internet. If you look closely, you can see by the corners that they're still wrapped in plastic.
And no, doctor j, no excessive rituals like you describe. I very reasonably check the front door lock 7 times at night before navigating through stacks of old newspapers to my bedroom, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Wow - to be finally mentioned in your blog! I do feel loved! (I forwarded to J.T. since your blog is blocked on your work computer).
If you are ever in a bind needing something to write about - this entry lends itself perfectly to some Grandfather stories....
By the way, have I ever showed you my ribbon basket? It's a wicker basket on my closet shelf with all of the ribbons neatly coiled (rolled) from wedding presents. J.T. doesn't understand why I *NEEDED* to save them.
Post a Comment