Day 1 ~ 40 Bags in 40 Days ~ An Introduction

My name is Christina and I'm a packrat.

And all the people say, "Hi Christina!".

I was perusing Facebook at work…oh, don’t look at me like that, I was on a break!..and came across a blog post about “40 Bags in 40Days”.

I’m intrigued.  And hopeful.  And terrified.

See, I’m a packrat with definite hoarding tendencies.  Can’t believe I just wrote that but there it is.  I don’t know why I can’t throw anything out, or why I can’t put stuff back in its proper place when I’m done using it.  I just don’t do it.  And so, the piles of crap…well, they pile up.  And up.  And UP.

I think that in some way, it’s a throwback to my childhood.  My messy room was the one thing I could “control” if that makes any sense.  Sure, my mother would go off on one of her rants and throw all the stuff that was out of place on my bed and tell me that I couldn’t sleep until it was all put away…but ultimately, the stuff would accumulate again and I’d be back at square one in the comforting nest I built for myself.

The thing is, when I do find the time to clean and purge now, I feel accomplished and happy.  I love the feeling of not having any laundry baskets hanging around our bedroom and the feeling of simplicity I get when the tables in the dining room are cleaned off.  I want our house to be welcoming to guests, not a minefield of rainbow loom bands and book bags and purses.

Thankfully my fiancé is a trooper.  He’s a touch OCD and anal about where his stuff is.  I know that right now he’s probably cursing me out because I have five pairs of shoes sitting in front of the couch that should have put in the closet a week ago but he loves me anyway.  My kids are learning from me though so that’s reason enough for me to do this challenge and keep it going after the 40 days. 

And so, today I will begin.  I’m printing out my forms so I can keep track of my progress.  I joined the closed Facebook group and am going to blog about this journey.  Who knows, I may find treasures long buried by the crap that’s holding me down.  One can dream anyway.

To start, since I'm stuck at work today, I've decided to declutter my desk.  It's bad...very bad.  I've taken one picture and am sharing it now.  During the day I'll get rid of the papers and file them away in the cabinet that is starving for organization.