Clutter.
We all deal with it, one way or another. Even the neatest and fastidious among us will occasionally leave items lying out of their proper place, or temporarily neglect to clean up a mess.
One thing I’ve come to learn since moving to 100 Mile House is how quickly a space can feel cluttered.
My apartment is a small one, I would argue one o the smallest in town, so it’s not hard for things to start getting messy.
Now when I first moved down here from Williams Lake I left certain things behind in an effort to downsize, somewhat. I left behind my broken bedframe in favour of leaving the mattress on the floor, didn’t bring in a new dresser and in general tried to store away whatever I didn’t need in the closets.
Three years on, however, especially after this Christmas, I’m starting to run out of space. My poor bookshelf is overflowing with books. My kitchen and coffee table have been colonized by miniatures and paints. I still have two giant stuffed animals I meant to donate to charity sitting in the corner. Even my desk is in imminent danger of serving as a permanent storage space for loose papers and other items I have no other place for.
Now that’s not to say I’m living like a hoarder with items piled everywhere, but it is getting to the point where something needs to be done to organize things a bit better. This Christmas in addition to getting several new pairs of pants and my customary several new books, I got a chance to check out my little brother Daniel’s room.
I was impressed by how clean and organized his space was, much better than mine at 13. As my mother helpfully pointed out if he can do it I can bring some order to my own space as well. Afterall, as the big brother I can’t let Danny show me up.
So in that spirit, as I turn 26 as of the publication of this edition of the 100 Mile Free Press I’m making a New Year’s resolution to declutter my home. Over the next few days, I’ll be sorting through everything I own, throwing out or donating what I no longer need and looking for ways to effectively utilize my space. It’s an exciting prospect as while I can’t make my apartment any bigger, I can certainly make it feel more open.
Perhaps I should start by finding a new bookshelf. You know, to store what I already have, not to increase my collection even more.
That would be crazy!