Declutter

Are you a hoarder? My mom was. (Bless her soul).

I do not like cluttered spaces... and I find it hard to breathe in tight spaces and a room full of people especially when there are smokers around. I guess that's why I am not a party/social person.

I like to have my own space. I like being tidy, neat and orderly. But I wasn't such a neat-freak when I was in my teens. In fact I was the complete opposite. I even hated taking baths at one point... haha! I can't recall when or what triggered the change in me. Perhaps having kids was the culprit.

Children (especially the little ones and teens) are not the easiest people to deal with. They have bundles of energy and they never listen to a single thing you tell them. My youngest boy is a classic example. I have to tell him the same things over and over and over again. Sometimes I think he purposely does it to annoy me. Grrrr...

Back to the topic of decluttering. I love to do that on a regular basis... sometimes it's done once a month, sometimes once in 3 months. It all depends on the amount of junk accumulated at home. I perpetually complain of not having enough money and yet I have so much stuff on top of my closet, inside boxes, under the table, the bed... you name it, they're everywhere. It's weird. It's as if these things magically multiply on their own.

So, what does a neat freak do with all that junk? Well, I send them to the nearest recycling center. Fortunately there is one nearby and sometimes I also give them away to people who accept these unwanted stuff. They're normally from orphanages and old folks homes.

I still remember how angry my youngest son was when I tried to throw away his broken toys several years back. Then an idea sprung (hehe) and I told him those were to be given away to homeless and under-privileged kids. I told him these little kids have no family and his toys would make them happy. Yeah, I know... it was a lie but still I had to give him a reason why I'm throwing away his junk.

What he did next really touched my heart. He left for a while and came back with some of his newer toys and handed them to me and said... 'Mom, don't give them my broken toys. I want them to have these unbroken ones'. He stopped sulking and from then on whenever he sees me with a big, black plastic bag (decluttering time), he would gather his toys (the ones he doesn't like anymore) and give them to me. But he insists on having new ones as replacements... duh!

It always bring such joy to my heart to have such a thoughtful son... even though he may be annoying and hard headed at times.