Sunday, August 1, 2010

PROGRESS or keepin' it honest




































Well, it's August 1st and I'm makin' progress. I'm not gonna get all heavy handed with myself about missed deadlines. The deal is I'm doing it, that's the point. Meeting deadlines will be addressed during the next new beginning.

First however, an admission. I'm an artist. It would be a good thing if I knew how to spell palette. I'd like to thank an amazing artist and new friend Jala for very delicately asking if I meant palate/palette as a play on words. How tactful and kind. Unfortunately no, I didn't. I've simply been spelling it incorrectly for quite some time now. You know when you're sure of the spelling or pronunciation of a word and you find out it's completely wrong and your face grows flush and hot as you realize how often you've used or said that word? Well, that happened.

Anyway, that said, I've made great progress although it certainly doesn't look that way. Here's why. Mail and I have a strange relationship. I can't seem to let it go.That nice man in that cute little truck leaves me so much stuff to look at every day, what kind of person would I be if I just chucked it all out? So I save it. Why? I have no idea. I'm getting help.

So, all that mail eventually gets stuffed into bags and the bags get stuffed into closets and  the store room. And in order to be able to actually walk in and move things around, I have literally been shredding, cutting and ripping up bank documents, credit cards solicitations and unsolicited address labels from as far back as 1994. I know there are bags with older documents in the garage. I don't want to think about that now.

This gives me new hope of a real new beginning because I am going to eliminate every bit of clutter and confusion from my life and take it from there. Himself is admitting he had given up hope of ever living clutter free and is considerably hopeful that a real change is taking place. Ouch!

I've filled three...count 'em three... huge contractor bags of old shredded mail. Hold me, I'm frightened. My feeble attempts at cleverness aside, I am feeling as though a huge weight has been lifted and I'm on my way to a simpler, more direct and present way to exist.

Thanks again for the support, the positive reinforcement and the spell-check, it's all helped me on so many levels. We'll see.

11 comments:

  1. When you're done will you please come by my house? I tease my wife that the clutter is like cholesterol, it starts piling up along the walls and gradually moves inward until there is barely room to maneuver through.

    Kudos to you for all the work you've done so far. Stay with it, sister, I'm rooting for you!

    -Don

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  2. Congrats on the clean up. I just started mine last week. How can we clean and paint? Don't worry about the spelling, was it JFK, who wasn't great at spelling? Your are a great artist, that's whats important. All the best to you.

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  3. Keep going! You will feel soooo much better when there's air and space surrounding you, not old things calling your name and piling on the to-do list.

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  4. You go girl. Us out here in blogger land are proud of you.

    My husband checks my blogs for spelling errors, unfortunately it usually takes him a day or two after it's posted, by then I'm completely embarrassed. What can I say, I'm an artist and life is good.

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  5. Suzanne, color me silly but I love to hear of such organizational progress! The studio looks absolutely fabulous!

    A suggestion for all the mail and documents. Shredding takes hours really, especially if you have that much of it. Might I suggest burning it, whether in a fireplace, a grill, or an outside fire pit? Just make sure there is a lid or screen of some sort to catch flying paper embers. (My husband is one to save papers for years too.)

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  6. You are rockin that studio space Suzanne!! You're so on top of things you know :)

    PS you had me ROFL about palate/palette, I'm not even sure if I spelled those right. I've done that so many times and then felt like the world's biggest idiot. Oh, good times :)

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  7. Sorry I made you blush! I really DID wonder if you were making a clever play on words...
    Don't be hard on yourself, not for spelling, not for missing deadlines, nothing! It must be feeling good to be creating some space. Keep it up!
    (Hi, Poubles!)

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  8. Suzanne, I used the word “expediate” for about 5 years. Of course I didn’t know I was making it up at the time, but then I heard someone say “expedite” and the lights went on...as a wise man once said,
    “Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never cease to be amused.”

    Keep going with the decluttering, sounds like you’re making some real progress! Yay!
    --

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  9. Another group hug and thank you. I apologize but as you know I'm still throwing things out and organizing. It's endless. As soon as I'm done I'll be back on proper thank yous.

    Your words really help. My repeated proclamations of gratitude just don't seem enough. Many, many thanks for the support, I really am overwhelmed. With each passing day it's being revealed that I do indeed have a problem with hoarding. Who knew?

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  10. I don't know how I came upon your blog last night--your photos from July 18 look a lot like my studio; I've made half-hearted attempts to organize.

    You've made great progress--congratulations. Keep going; I'll check back for inspiration.

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  11. Suzanne!

    You'll get there, little by little.

    If it makes you feel any better, while spending the night by my aunt's house, we were shredding her and my uncle's old checks from 1989!

    Yes, from 1989!

    You're not the only one who can't throw things away!

    -Dean

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Your visits to my blog and the comments you leave here are an integral part of my creative process. They are helpful, supportive and well, let's face it, they feel really good! If I don't thank you personally, please allow me to thank you in advance for taking the time to stop by and leave your thoughts, they mean so much!