Every year, the Donahues tackle a looming house issue over the holidays. Most times, we complete the home rebuild within a few weeks. Our latest attempt has taken a great deal longer (12-16-11 until (to be determined)) due to the fact that as Mr. Sanford said..."This is the Big One, Elizabeth." We wanted to eliminate our "hoarding room" a few years ago, so we tore out one old room and rebuilt it into a lovely library. That way, we could move all of our piles of books into one room, leaving more room for living in the house. This certainly has made all of the difference. And it gave me a great place to unwind at the end of the day. Our littlest Donahue even asked one day why we were so rich. We pondered on this and asked him why he thought so. His reply..."Well, we have a whole library in our house."
However, as in most projects... most of our "things" - *objects of hoarding* got moved into a hide-away closet (This room actually used to be a bedroom for our three children!). Our excuse: We are busy people. People who are often on the move. We host our family nature club events (http://www.kidsadventuring.org/), we help out in the church, spend time visiting with family and friends and generally gravitate to an active lifestyle. This is fine and well, but most of our arguments within the house have taken place over the disorganization of the earlier mentioned closet. Where is suchandsuch when you need it?
Problem solved, right? Rip out the ceiling, tear out the walls, rebuild the flooring. Fix the closet and the clutter will go away. The problem is that my lovely wife is an unbelievable idea person. I am a grunt worker. She is all about the rebuild and the final product. I tear stuff up.
Well actually, I become a person who likes to tear stuff up after whining and complaining about having to start the project... Kinda like the Hulk, but more like Fred Sanford.
So, as I mentioned, we are still working on the closet. There is now a space for everything we need and no space for the things we no longer need. 60 bags in all, have now been donated to our local Goodwill Industries. Simplicity comes at a cost. Decisions had to be made. Do we need this or can we get it from the library? Can we borrow this from a friend somewhere down the line? Do we need a second copy of my favorite album of all time?
As the last wood putty goes into the cracks and the FINAL paint job gets applied this weekend (or bust!), I will consider the work that has been done. We have build a closet that we are proud of, from scratch. I will rest knowing that my clothes are now stored on hangers and in drawers. I will savor the last of the finishing touches and most likely move onto another project at the house. Experience comes the day after you need it, right?
Simplicity... that takes longer. Maybe about thirty days?
Today's link...
Goodwill Industries http://www.goodwill.org/
Today's Bible verse..."No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way" (Hebrews 12:11)
Today's quote..."Some people like to make a little garden out of life and walk down a path." Jean Anouilh
No comments:
Post a Comment