On my kitchen counter sits a big wooden bowl literally overflowing with otherwise homeless things. When I moved in seven years ago, I set the bowl on the counter because I wasn't sure where to put it permanently. It became the catch-all for anything in my hands that I didn't know exactly what to do with. It's not the junk drawer, mind you, that is the drawer beneath the bowl. I'm a firm believer in kitchen junk drawers. In fact, there are two in my kitchen, one for me and one for Cheyenne. I believe in equal opportunity junk drawer ownership.
But a junk bowl? I don't know how it happened. But boy is it ever happening. The bowl is literally dripping with stuff: pens, business cards, cracker jack surprises from the bottom of the box, photos people send me in Christmas cards, cell phone chargers to phones I no longer own, a tape measurer, thermometer, five thousand pieces of paper with phone numbers or notes or bound in the form of a manual for something or another, and quite likely there's a village of tiny weebles living happily beneath all that stuff. The bowl has taken on a life of its own and is threatening to take over the entire counter.
The task of cleaning out this bowl makes regular appearances on my weekly "to do" lists, but I just can't bring myself to start the project. Where will I put all that stuff? It might mean that I have to make the decision to throw something away, and I can't bear to do that. How can I throw that charger from two cell phones ago away? How can I throw away the user manual to a camera I no longer own? What about that expired $10.00 off coupon at my favorite shoe store? It would mean putting the tape measurer in the tool box, and taking the bracelet with the broken clasp upstairs to the box of other jewelry in need of repair. It would mean deciding what to do with that turquoise ankle bracelet I bought last summer and immediately took off when I realized that maybe a turquoise ankle bracelet wasn't something I could carry off for more than a day at the beach. It would mean putting away the wrapping tape and extra gift cards, and finding a home for all the pens I've accumulated.
I don't know when procrastination became my middle name but "Clean junk bowl" once again holds the top spot on my "to do" list for the week, right above the also regularly appearing "Clean out garage." Maybe, just maybe, it won't be on next week's list.
6 comments:
Do you still have any left-over boxes from Christmas?
If so, you can do what I did. Lay out a small box for each category of stuff and just sort the junk area in question into the boxes. The more boxes you have, the more categories you can allow yourself. When you're done, store those away and start over. Eventually, you'll go looking for something and you can just throw out the boxes of junk.
(Okay, that's not what I really do, but it would work just as well as picking out the three or four things that are worth keeping and throwing the rest out.)
I'm actually doing this a room at a time in my house now. As of yesterday, the kitchen is so clean, you could eat out of it! ;)
I feel nothing but relief when I read about people who have saved useless items "just in case." Be proud. One bowlful of clutter won't get you invited to the Oprah show.
Oh, how good it feels to know I'm not the only one with a dirty little secret!
my brother sent me a link yesterday to living in zen. if i can find it again ill send it to you.
Keep the lint roller! Keep the lint roller! You should think about upgrading to the one that I have. It's as big as a paint roller and works great on couches and bed spreads.
When I moved here 7 + years ago, I had one box - a small box that I didn't know what to do with anything in it. It has moved from room to room and it's now in a shed. Still unpacked and unused.
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