Well, you are getting another glimpse into the head of a professional organizer! Yes, a little weird, I know… I live in Prince George’s County, MD. and last month, our trash and recycling collection services now are able to pick up two bulky items per week on our regular collection day. What a Golden Opportunity to DeClutter your Space in this New Year, especially with Spring being right around the corner!!
A Professional Organizer’s Dream come True!!
Bulky items that will be accepted on a regular collection day can include couches, chairs, mattresses, carpet, doors, cabinets, and more. In lieu of two bulky items, residents can place two large trash bags tied and secured tightly with smaller items that include household décor and small appliances, such as toaster ovens, blenders, air fryers, or crock pots.
P.S. If you don’t like in PG County, MD, please check the bulk trash pick-up process in your local area. It’s well worth it to “Declutter Your Space”.
Spring is ONLY 35 days away and if it appears that I am in hurry to see Spring…. I AM! 😀
However, in my neck of the woods, winter will probably linger. It “snowed” on Sunday and the sun’s out today, but who knows what’s in the forecast for the rest of the week. It is always during this time of the year that I recall the final preparations for my wedding day. My wedding anniversary is March 10, and the Thursday before, almost thirty-eight years ago… It SNOWED, no REALLY, snowed!But by my wedding day, the snow was practically all gone and the sun was shining. GO FIGURE!!
Winter gives the earth a deep cleansing and kills the germs in the air… BUT Springis a season of rebirth, rejuvenation, resurrection and regrowth. March 20th will be here before we know, so why not start preparing for our period of renewal and Order right now.
Google Search
We have 35 days and counting to get ready. I would suggest that we map out a “Spring’s Comin”plan.
Days 1 thru 15 – Assess your space and determine three (3) major areas that require spring cleaning first and allot ample time to complete. Assign small tasks to complete over time. Write down the plan and post it.
Days 16 thru 30 – Find two (2) small areas that need to be organized (yes, there is a difference between clean & organize…). Then let the sort & purge process begin.
Days 31 thru 35 – Get the family to participate. Review the plan with them and get their support & buy-in (even under duress :-D)…. and absolutely, have a BIG party when it’s done.
Over the past few years, I have encountered more people that had had to address the idea of aging themselves or having to support aging parents. Thank God, we are all living longer, however, this phenomenon has introduced changes in our way of life that we had not anticipated. So now is the time to “DeClutter for the Future!” Many of you may already be overwhelmed with what’s ahead and you have no idea of where to begin. Sometimes, the hardest part is asking for help and support. Please allow me to outline what I believe are the opportunities that you may be facing in your particular season of life.
READY! **
Your lives are extremely hectic, even more so these days, in light of the pandemic. Not only are you adjusting to the children becoming teens, an awakening all its own, but you are in the throes of managing your own home AND your parents are entering a new season of life. As a result, you may have to consider the following:
Decluttering your own living space, considering our new virtual way of life.
Decluttering the family home, where your parents have lived for 25+ years.
Parents downsizing to a smaller, more manageable space.
Parents encountering health issues and assisted living may be necessary.
SET! ***
We, myself included, are coming to the realization that our children do not want our stuff. Many of us have discovered that our children are not emotionally attached to the things that we hold dear, like the precious china and silver from our great-grand parents. Therefore, we have to declutter our own spaces of all the stuff that we have held on to, to give to our children or grandchildren. In addition, for some, our grown children have had to return home and therefore, the empty nest is no longer empty.
We too, have parents that are entering a new season and we have discovered that they also have held on to a lot of stuff and now we are faced with helping them to downsize and declutter. Many of our parents were born in an era when you had to keep stuff “just in case” and many of us are now the same way, but we don’t want our children to have to ruffle through all our stuff.
GO! ****
Then there are those of us that have entered a new season and we are some or all of the above. We are transitioning into another phase of Living. Some are considering retirement and others have already retired. As part of the transition, many have decided to stay in our homes, which we have been in for 25+ years. As most of us know, over time we’ve accumulate a lifetime of “stuff” and now we must decide what we really want to keep.
As an experienced professional organizer and a woman that have lived a number of the scenarios outlined above, I know that these are monumental tasks. No matter your season of life, my goal is to guidance you through the organizing process, in order to minimize your stress and anxiety. As I often say, my mission is to break down the elephant into bite-size pieces. The key is to start early and take one bite at a time. I’m here to help you to Order Your Steps! I believe that your first step is to acknowledge that you may need some support and then the second step is simply to make the phone call.
As some of you may be aware, I’ve created an inspirational blog entitled Holy Ghost Downloads. So, here’s a little “Food for the Soul”for the Weekend…
No One Talk about Bruno!
If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…
I absolutely loved the movie, Encanto. In the movie, Bruno, the son, had a gift that was perceived to have a negative effect on their lives, not only by his family, but by his community. So Bruno left and no one was supposed to talk about Bruno!
Google Image
During our family conversation after the movie, someone said “no one talk about Kevin!” and we kinda chuckled. But in reality, I’ve not seen Kevin, my son, is almost 3 years. Unfortunately, this is not the first time in his 43 years on this earth that he has just walked away from me. I used to ask often, “what did I do”, but then I had to stop, instead I decided to ask the Lord, “why do you leave this thorn in my flesh”? We often interpret this scripture with negative feelings, but as the Apostle Paul explained,
…even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
So, I have learned to see my thorn as a gift that God gave me a gift to help me to realize just how much I need Him. He matches my thorn to my course, to my calling, not “to torment, but to mentor”. It is what God has given me to teach me and to show me His extraordinary Grace, He honors me with His presence. There are some things that God can’t teach us by advice only, but at times, we must endure adversity. It’s in those times that we must learn to boast and celebrate in God’s Glory for His Grace.
Is there someone that has simply walked away from you? Someone that you held close and just can’t understand why they would leave. Is there a situation or circumstance in your life that God has allowed and again, it just makes no sense? Well, it’s ok to talk about Bruno! God already knows how you feel and He’s there to listen. The pain doesn’t do away, right away, and to be honest, we may never truly understand why God does what He does, but Paul also said…
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In the movie, Bruno does come back, but that’s all I’m going to say. I guess you’ll just have to watch the movie. As for Kevin, I don’t really know, but when I get a little anxious…
It’s so important that I take a quiet moment and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…
As a professional organizer of over 10 years and a wife of a not-so-organized husband for almost 40 years, needless to say, we have had our challenges with regards to “methods of organization”. Well, I was sitting in my room, one Saturday morning and my hubby comes in and begins to work on his closet. Truth be told, I believe that he was bored and there was nothing to watch on TV. Anyway, he sat down in his closet and he said, “what do you tell your clients when they go through their stuff and they find things that they are never going to wear this again?” I was speechless, I could not respond. Who was this man? Then he said, I might as well throw it away!” Then the ultimate… he said, “I really must learn to stop holding on to stuff.” I was in shock!
The literal definition of “prosper” is to push forward, which carries the idea of thriving and succeeding in everything we do. So for 2022, let’s make a commitment to ourselves that whatever we put our hands to, we will see it through!
During this time of year, there’s a lot of discussion about setting goals for the new year. I usually try to review my goals from the previous years to see if I’ve accomplished what I set out to do and look what I found. It’s sounds like I may have missed a few of my goals in the past, so I’ll have to add them to this year, so stay tuned …
Take a moment to reflect on the years that has passed. Focus on our positive accomplishments and don’t dwell on the negative. It is very difficult to build for BIGGER & BETTER without a foundation. Let’s make sure we have an action plan with our goals & objectives for at least the next few months.
We have to know where we’ve been, where we are going and how we’re going to get there!
We’d really rather that you set realistic goals for 2022, because we both know that resolutions are meant to be broken… So, this year, Invest in Yourself and hire a professional organizer, hopefully me! 😀
Finding Order in Chaos 