Slowly and surely, it sneaks back into it's favorite areas. It conspires to take over and then suddenly it's there in all its glory: clutter.
The problem seems to get worse as the years go by. I have a feeling it has something to do with housing a growing family. Two pairs of skis turns into three pairs and ski sled. Little people clothing is stored in the anticipation that another little one will be using it in the future. Toys accumulate and books exponentiate. The house feels smaller and the temptation to move into a bigger home is real.
There is an undeniable connection between the story of clutter and the story of stuff. Wanting more instead of making do or reusing is counter-cultural. Going against the current of society requires changes in habits, some of which are so difficult to change. Today I was looking at my cluttered spice cabinet. I wondered what my cooking would be like if I only used spices that were locally grown. What would it be like to cook without cumin, bay leaves and curry? It's a scary thought, but one worth considering.
Over the next couple months, I'm planning on doing some early Spring cleaning and decluttering. Once the baby arrives things we'll be in survival mode for a while. I know that there won't be much time or energy for doing much at that point. I'll be trying out listmoz to generate a few lists of things I'd like done around the house.
hey Josee - one happy thought about the spices: Bay leaf can be grown locally. If you can grow rosemary, you can grow bay leaf.
ReplyDeleteSomething about the weeks after Christmas makes me feel the urge to de-clutter as well. I've been taking advantage of having our mil around to hold Mr. Angry and have been tackling a few long overdue clutter piles.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sure even if you only ever cooked with locally grown spices your cooking would still be fabulous. Mine... probably not so much. ;)
Cristina, the only way we can grow rosemary is if we bring it in during the winter. The winter is too cold up here and kills it off. I wonder if I could do the same for bay leaves though. Something worth looking into. Thanks for the tip :)
ReplyDeleteChelsea, lucky you! It's nice to have those extra pairs of hands for Mr. Angry. Happy decluttering!
Dump the unwanted extra stuff or make it into something else, but back away from the spice cabinet. That just crazy talk. Bay fresh is good but not as strong.
ReplyDeleteJulia, you're right it is a crazy thought. It's amazing how much variety of foods and spices we have these days compared to 50 years ago. I wonder what it'll be like for the next generation.
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