Before

On the way out the back door, we have some great shelves to store all kinds of stuff. They hold everything from cat supplies to bubbles, extra food, beach towels, computer bags, and linens- all out of view behind curtains. It is the ultimate catch all. It started out so nicely organized. And then life got busy, things got crammed in, and it became a humungous junk drawer. I thought the shelves would soon buckle from the weight. I longed for the day when I would have time to re-do the whole thing.

Finally- I found the time. Well, more like I was avoiding doing something else! Luckily the skeleton of the previously organized closet re-emerged once all the excess was purged. Why am I saving all these lunch boxes when the lunch boxes I actually do use are in the kitchen? Maybe all the things in the “Take to Garage” bucket should actually make it to the garage. I don’t even like candles. Why do I have so many and thank goodness my mom wants them and will take them! Are these little drawers still full of crap from my refrigerator door 5 years ago when we moved?! Somehow the new refrigerator got its own set of magnets and photos and left the old stuff in the dust.

After

Every once in awhile, we need to revisit our things and lighten the load. It felt so good to finally go through an area that had been driving me crazy. Some things were donated and given away. Some things were returned to their proper homes. And some new ideas emerged. Why not use an empty tissue box to drop all the E-waste, like batteries and cords, until I am ready to recycle them properly. The little box I had before was just too small. Now I have a lot of extra space- almost an entire shelf! It feels really good every time at look at it which is the complete opposite of how it used to feel. We all have some area of our homes that become a dumping ground. Take that time to undo it, organize it, and lighten your load both physically and mentally. It is so worth it!