Today Oprah had Peter Walsh on the show talking about his new book Does this Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat. It was such an interesting topic that hit home for me. I have had a problem with clutter my whole life and I know it is a symptom of my inner feelings.
Once I opened up a cabinet door in my kitchen to reveal a cabinet that was STUFFED with stuff. It was piled up all over the place and barely being contained by the door. I whipped that cabinet open and said to my mom, "This is how my mind feels!" That was the best way I could explain my issue with disorganization to my mother who couldn't understand it.
Recently I have been making small steps to clear out the house and organize things. I have done most of my kitchen, my front hall closet and my upstairs bathroom. The lower level of the house is pretty good although there is a bit of clutter in my blue room right now. I have been able to keep it up too which is the important part. Usually I will get fed up, clean out and then slowly but surely things begin to creep in and take over again.
The upstairs of my home is a completely different story because it is a mess (except for my bathroom). Every time I walk up there I get so deflated. My basement is also equally cluttered. It is another place I can't stand to be.
The thing that hit me was when Peter said to her, "What do you want your home to feel like, to be? Does this stuff accomplish that?" The answer is a blaring no for anyone who is buried in clutter.
This new book shows the corelation between extra weight in your home and extra weight on your body. He is saying that you can't lose weight on your body if you are weighed down by extra weight in your home.
I see the corelation however I believe that instead of the problem being one or the other I like to look at it like an interconnected relationship. Any efforts made in one area are felt in the other areas. In fact he even said, "The house, the head, the heart, the hips. They are all connected." I believe that to be true and I believe that the best approach is to work on the whole package.
As I have been cleaning up my body, I have been drawn to clean up my home. It has been natural and I know I can do more to speed the process along. I am going to commit to spending 10 minutes each day clearing out a section of my home. I am going to do the Trash Bag Tango every day from here on out and see what kind of dent it creates in my cluttered home.
3 comments:
I'm not sure I agree with Peter Walsh. I'm quite ruthless when it comes to throwing things away - I always used to say that I like to travel light. One of the reasons may be that I've moved so many times in my life before. I recently sorted out my husband's clutter, so now I've just got the outside storeroom to tackle. But I need help with that one!
Despite all this, I'm enormous. I carry my life in my fat cells... (and as I wrote that I had a major light-bulb moment!)
Wow, that is a fantastic quote, "I carry my life in my fat cells." Gave me chills.
I know what you mean. Everyday while rubbing on the coconut oil I have been thanking the fat for all it has done and letting it know that it is safe to go. I am ok now. I think there is a lot of power in that fat and we have to come to grips with it before we can let it go.
It's funny you should say that because Oprah said the same thing about having a problem with her weight and not a problem with clutter. I think it would be inaccurate to say that everyone with weight issues has a clutter issue. I think there might be a tendancy for it though. I don't know, it would be interesting to do a survey wouldn't it.
alright - now I KNOW we have similar issues. Clutter has stalked me my entire life. It has been especiallly bad the past few years due to the stress of dealing with incredibly difficult issues with one of my sons - and the death of my mother. Mom wanted to give all of her things to me and my siblings - because it was important to her. So - I took many things that I totally didn't need. Now I have way more things in my house than what I have room for. On top of that, with inheritance money, I did a lot of spending as a coping mechanism. And, voila, accumulated more stuff. I have enough crafts stuff to last me a lifetime: glass etching supplies, raw wool, painting books and supplies, etc.
Right now, I am sitting next to a card table piled with papers I need to go through. The paper clutter is what bugs me the most. I have such a difficult time dealing with it.
Maryyx
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