Case in point, I once went with a friend to someone’s
residence in order to retrieve a set of dishes that the person had given
them. I had never been to a home in this
state of disarray before. It was dark, the
curtains were drawn shut. It was dusty,
smelly, roaches skittered everywhere, and spider webs (and their occupants)
leered at me from every corner, literally.
It was a regular Haunted Mansion.
I couldn’t comprehend how someone could live and eat there, let alone
sleep there. And who lived there? She was an emergency room nurse. Would I want her treating me or a loved one? Umm, no.
You might think that statement seems a bit judgmental, but to me someone
with a job concerning the well-being of others shouldn’t let their own well-being
fall to such shambles. I later learned that she was fired shortly
thereafter for being under the influence
of illegal substances. Hmmm… I heard that she went through rehabilitation,
threw everything away, cleaned everything and is doing much better.
I’ve seen one room shacks in the Caribbean and Mexico. There is a difference between being poor, and
being dirty. I’ve been in rich people’s
houses that are disgusting and uncomfortable, and in poor people’s houses that
are lovely and comforting.
One of the best feelings is being able to let go of “things”
that are no longer needed, and one of the first steps to doing that is to clear
out some clutter. Start with a
drawer. It works, it brings
clarity. It adjusts focus. It calms nerves. It clears mental cobwebs.
It’s…necessary.
(Disclaimer - Having said all that, I also realize that some people have a mental disorder that requires that they hold on to things. I also have random items that I have held on to that seemingly have no value to anyone, but they do to me. However, I can’t imagine the psychic clutter of an entire house filled with things that I couldn’t bear to get rid of. It would be debilitating.)
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