everything in its place

Can you find joy in cleaning?  While cleaning is a chore that doesn't excite most people, I do enjoy the end result.  And I can say I do actually enjoy the art of organization.  Sometimes its an overwhelming task when you start it but I love stacking, sorting, tossing and clearing out.

Whenever cleaning out a cabinet, I never understand how we accumulate so much "stuff"!  I'm not a hoarder by any stretch of the imagination, and although I could never imagine living like that, I can see how quickly things can add up.  If I didn't purge and clean out the rooms in my house on a regular basis, it could become a mess in a matter of a months.

We live in a society where more is more.  Flashing commercials, ads, junk mail, all with the purpose of selling you something so that you have more.  And really, what is the point?  What if we all just lived with enough instead of extra?  I know one of the goals I have for our family this year is to waste less.  Every two weeks when I go grocery shopping, I cringe as I clean out the fridge and realize how many meals end up in the trash.  Maybe I cook too much but more than anything, we just don't do a great job of eating leftovers.  I'm working on improving both in 2011, as I know there are so many families overseas and in our own backyard that would give anything for just what we discard.

I was watching an organization-themed show (probably why I got the bug to clean my closets) and something the host said really stuck with me.  He talked about how many years he's been helping families clean their homes and that every single time a room is cleared, the child's reaction is the same.  They dance in the space.  They are joyful in the simplicity of less.

So, as I completely gutted my closet yesterday, tossed out clothes we never wear, and organized everything in new baskets, cubbies and other boxes, I rejoiced too.  My body was sore but i was thankful for the ability to clean and for a hard day's work.  I was grateful for the clothes that most days I complain about "having nothing to wear" and was reminded of how many people out there truly have only the shirt on their back.  I humbly donated the bags of surplus we no longer wanted or needed.  And, this morning I danced in my space.  I was able to quickly and easily find what I wanted to wear and even rediscovered clothes that were hiding among the cramped hangers.  I counted my blessings and was thankful for less.