Hello, on this very chilly day.

After a week that saw a huge snowfall, we are now in the deep freeze. It is the kind of day where skin can freeze if you are not careful. Today, I am grateful for a house with heat and coffee in the pot. I worry about those who do not have a home and for those who have to work outside. Dangerous weather.

It’s at times like this when I think about how very simple our needs really are. Warm place to be, some food in the fridge, milk for tea… And I look around and see how very many things I have. I seem to be living in clutter lately. Papers and piles and computer and well… stuff. To be honest, most of it I need and use, but my office/recording studio/music room stuff seems to be expanding while the room stays the same cozy-sized space. I do not think I would survive in a tiny house, although the idea intrigues me.

Clutter is visual noise. It is like a dozen people waving their hands and calling my attention. Some of the hands are reminding me of things left to be completed. Most of it is just stuff in need of a home, as it perches on a table or sits unsteadily on another pile of things. Post-Christmas, I think I have hit saturation point.

Partly it is a measure of how busy my life is. But I have discovered that as this pandemic has worn on, so too has my energy waned. I hear this from so many people. They’ve felt drained and tired, and restless. Just blah.

Maybe you’ve been feeling this way too. Maybe you are surrounded by the clutter of life as well. It helps to see it as a sign of the toll the pandemic has taken on us -on so many levels. And, this is good news. Because as we start to clear things and tidy, we take back our power and feel lighter and brighter. It’s just taking that first step, right? And, it will be nice to do Zoom without the blur feature on. Bonus!

I’ve read that if we just pick up or organize three things whenever we go into a room, then we’ll be amazed at how quickly things return to order. I have also been advised when looking at an object and wondering if it is a keeper or time to dispatch, to think about whether it is the object or the memory attached that keeps it on the shelf. It is easier to let some things go, holding on to the warmth of the memory that will always be with you. I do need most of what I am looking at, but maybe the wind-up nun that breathe fire and walks can go to another home. I am keeping the rubber duck that looks like a bishop though.

Sigh. It would be good if my office didn’t look like an episode of hoarders. My conscience tugs at me when I think of the many who have so little and here I am, with so very much. But truly, what I have is modest… humble house, humble supplies, humble but plenteous clutter.

Perhaps the better statement is, “keep what you need but be mindful of the needs of others.” That resonates. I will go through my warm winter clothing and see what there is I can offer to friends who collect things for people in need and the returning migrant workers. Remembering other peoples’ needs is a great motivator for me. Dishes, household goods, extra furniture… I know places who will get these to eager homes.

Ok – see how my energy has shifted? I have a purpose now, a reason to de-clutter. I will share the blessings I have received. I’ll let you know how it goes. I hope you will think of the needs of others and give from your blessing too. I’m still not sure about the fire-breathing nun, but she will be claimed, I am sure.

Stay warm and stay well from Niagara on the Freezing Lake,
Deb