Happy New Year! … Or is it Happy New Year’s?? I’ve heard both, and now find myself over-thinking which is the correct greeting. Help clearing that up would be greatly appreciated. Seriously!
This past year has been a turning point for me in many ways. I reached a place where I knew things had to change or I was going to go under. I guess you could say I have felt completely overwhelmed for about a decade. (You can read more about that here.). Recently, I was lamenting how busy and stressed out I am, when a friend asked, “What is it you’re so busy with, anyway?” Hah! Good question!
I’m just busy.
Doing life.
Homeschooling.
Keeping kids afloat and doing the basic mom thing.
All I know is I FEEL overwhelmed, tired and not productive. I’ve let things go in all areas of my life, and it has caught-up to me in BIG ways. Sure, I have some tremendous excuses— cancer (you can read more about it here and here) surgeries (here , here and here) chemo ,radiation (here and here), recovery, but…
…a lot of it boils down to my personality.
Bottom line: I need white space on my calendar and in my life to function.
Last year began a SLOW journey of decluttering every maxed-out part of my life, and when I say slow, I mean REALLY slow. And, likewise, when I say EVERY part, I mean EVERY. My house: at first glance, you would not agree with me because decorating-wise, it’s somewhat sparse. But… open a cupboard, closet or drawer and it’s a random hot mess. We’ve simply accumulated too much stuff!
There’s more to it than the physical clutter though. It’s a need to unbury myself from the pressure and disorganization in every area. I’m talking…
–Schedule (did I mention I need white space?!)
–Finances (everything costs so much!)
–Relationships (Eddie and I are struggling a bit. Totally blame the kids! Hah.)
–WEIGHT (SO much to say right here.)
–Health (can’t seem to get a complete clean bill of health, multiple BUGGY issues and appointments.)
–Emotions (forced into early menopause because of cancer. Need I say more?!)
So… back to my SLOW journey of decluttering my life. I have a lot to share, and depending on my level of bravery (total disclaimer in case you never hear me mention this topic again) I will begin slowly posting about my progress and baby steps: a kind of behind the scenes glimpse into my life and what God is showing me.
In the book, She’s Still There, by Chrystal Evans Hurst, she says, “You will get so much joy from watching the unnecessary weight in your life fall off little by little over time.” I hope to encourage and inspire you to join me in getting the junk out of your life , releasing you to move forward in faith with purpose.
It’s been said that clutter is a result of delayed decisions, so let’s decide right here and now that 2018 will be the year we allow God to make it truly a Happy New Year…
or … Happy New Year’s??!
Your drawers sound like mine. I always think of it as an analogy of me. You come to my house and everything is usually neat. But don’t open a drawer or closet because it’s chaos. I love your post as just the other day I cleaned out my closet..,well the top half of my closet at least…baby steps right? I got rid of a lot of stuff. Stuff I held onto because that thought of “what if I need that someday” kept popping in my mind. This time I just ignored that thought and filled up the bags. I felt so powerful. Haha. Now I have to remember not to let the clutter come back to that closet. It’s like my life. I can look neat and tidy on the outside but look a little closer and there you will spot the chaos. But as with my closet (or at least part of it) I am slowly getting rid of the emotional clutter. I am not going to “need it someday” and I just have to remember once one area is cleaned out I need to work at keeping it that way. So, one half closet down, the rest of the house to go. Baby steps. Thank you for inspiring me to keep at it. ????
Bryn,
You NAILED it with your analogy! That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about and hoping to write more about in the coming weeks. ??
Love your honesty… very relatable! Thanks for sharing your journey… disease has a funny way of taking over the driver’s seat of our lives (my last 5 years have been hijacked by not my own disease, but my daughter’s). I wouldn’t trade the journey because of the things the Lord has taught us in this season, but it’s time to climb out of the hole, you know?
With the Lord’s help and for His glory! Praying for you sister!
~Amy
Amy,
I had no idea you have been walking through this the last 5 years. Definitely a hard, but very intimate journey to walk through suffering. God can do so much In our lives during these seasons because he gets our full attention. Thank you for sharing! Much love to you and your family.