Backsliding

So I have spent most of the last 3 weeks helping a friend purge and paint her 130 year old semi-detached Victorian house in preparation for sale.

She has lived in the house for the past 43 years, so needless to say the task was monumental.

I am so impressed with how she has taken it on, determined to move on to a simpler, more serene life in a much smaller apartment.

Although we are not yet finished, we decided to take a much needed week off. At least from her house...when I looked around my small, one bedroom plus den apartment I realized how much I had neglected my own space.

So on the weekend I began the cleaning...

I moved into this apartment in May, and still have not found storage solutions for everything that I brought with me. It has been six years since I first made the decision to downsize and simplify, and I thought I was doing very well. Until I made the decision to convert my linen closet into clothes storage. As I unloaded the linens, I was horrified to discover 5 sets of sheets, 5 sets of towels, and 4 bath mats. Who needs 5 sets of sheets for one bed? And whatever happened to my "one in, one out" rule?

Yes it is very clear to me that backsliding happens...it is insidious and unexpected. Staying clutter free requires diligence and discipline.

So off to Goodwill I go with 2 sets of sheets, 2 sets of towels and 2 bathmats, renewing my vows once again to purge, purge, purge!

Don't be discouraged....even the most devout declutterers slip up occasionally! It's like cheating on your diet...forgive yourself and move on.