just in case

I did a major cleaning/organizational sweep in my room before the new year. My room had become an organizational disaster and yet i didn't feel like i had that much stuff. What the heck was causing this overcrowding? How come i had no space to put my text books? I became confused. I became distressed. I mean, i take pride in my organizational abilities and yet here i was, failing miserably in my own apartment! For shame, for shame!

Thus, my decision to take on this end of the year project. And in tackling the problem, i began to notice a common theme among the stuff i was getting rid of.

"I've been holding on to these super old credit card statements just in case i need to refer back to them one day"

"I've been holding on to these books i got for free just in case i have time to read them one day"

"I've been holding on to this mini sewing kit (for 10 years!) just in case i 1. want to learn to sew and 2. actually need to sew"

And the list went on and on. I realized that my room had become a storage unit for "just in case" items! And they seemed small enough, but add together many "just in case" items and suddenly you have no room left for the things you actually use! This is the trap i fell into. There was no room for the stuff i really used and so those things were getting piled on my floor, and frankly it didnt look good!

I realized that the chance of me actually needing these "just in case" items was slim. And keeping them was causing the earlier-referenced confusion and distress (and oh the shame!). My mentality had to change. And i hope to impart the wisdom i gained from this experience onto you in hopes of providing relief from the organizational mess you may have found yourself in too.

Here's the logic:
Old perspective - "I'd much rather hold on to something just in case i need it, because it will save the hassle and stress of either having to purchase it again or not being able to access it at all."

New perspective - "I want to come home to an organized room! Holding on to these "little" things is causing a big mess. Living in a disorganized place has become a daily stress, more so than it would be to need one of these "just in case" items down the road. And chances are, i wont need any of those "just in case" items anyways!"

My encouragement to you is to consider what you may be holding on to "just in case." And free yourself from these chains that bind! I cant express just how much i love having SPACE for my text books and bank statements!

big umbrellas

It was a glorious day, waking up to find the ground covered in glistening white snow. A friend of mine commented about how he loves the silent sound of a snowfall. I completely agree. I love that fun surprise of finding everything looking completely different from how I saw it the night before.

Snow boots on, there was an extra spring in my step today, walking through (or should i say "crunching through") the gorgeous snow flakes.

By mid afternoon, the snow was losing its place in the city, getting replaced by rain, rain, and more rain. Snow turned to brown snow, which turned into brown slush (which caused me to lose that extra spring in my step and take a more cautious approach to walking).

And the umbrellas came out.

And i realized a major pet peeve of mine - big umbrellas. Particularly big umbrellas being carried by small to average sized people! There i was, on the sidewalk, trying to return to work after a deposit run, and found myself in a traffic jam - because of one of these big umbrellas. One umbrella took up the ENTIRE width of the sidewalk! Underneath it was a man who could not have been any bigger than 150 pounds and 5 ft 9. No need for such a large umbrella! And because of it, those of us behind him were forced to walk at his pace.

I was tempted to purchase an umbrella of a NORMAL size and give it to him. "Think of the others! You dont rule the sidewalk umbrella guy!"