The Urge to Purge

Sometimes as I lay in bed and wait to fall asleep, I start to think about my bedroom. I think about the 2 dressers that are full of clothes. And the 2 closets that are also full of clothes. And the spare room dresser, full of clothes. And the entryway closet, full of coats and jackets. And I think to myself  "If I were to get married today and my husband moved into my house tomorrow, where in the world would his stuff go???"

And it really really bothers me.

It bothers me that I have amassed so much stuff, specifically, so many clothes. It bothers me that on more than one occasion I've purchased something, only to come home and realize that I had something virtually identical hanging in my closet. It bothers me that it would take a good deal of work to prepare to share my space.

It's not that I believe I should have left my closets half empty, in hopes of a partner to share them with one day. Or that you should delay your own happiness and fulfillment for a person who may or may not want to share your happiness and fulfillment with you.

I guess, at night, when it's me and my weary thoughts, I think about my closets as a metaphor for my life. I've managed to fill them up with "stuff." And only some of it is really important. Only some of that stuff is useful, meaningful, and beautiful. Only some of it makes me smile. Some of it is just plain crap. If I've filled my life with stuff that means very little to me, how could I have room for something or someone who means the world to me?

It's not easy to admit that you were wrong about something. That your judgement was totally clouded. That something is just not good for you. That something would be better off with someone else. That you mistreated something and now it's ruined. But I'm slowly purging and making room in my closets. And I'm making a promise to be more discerning about the things I bring into my closets, so that I can truly appreciate everything in them.

Marty McFly Style

In honor of Daylight Savings Time and our amazing one hour time-travelling journey into the future, I'd like to list the things I'm looking forward to in the future:

• Tootbrushing pills. Or robots that brush your teeth for you while you're asleep. Whichever comes first.
• Roni's appearance as cover-kitty for Cat Fancy Magazine.
• A Jean-Ralphio spin-off show.
• Girl Scout cookie ATMs.
• Winning the house raffle.--Make it happen Michelle!!
• "Duchess Stuifbergen...your table is ready."
• Coconut being named the official flavor of the United States.
• My neighbor's reality show, "The Real Cranky Ladies of South Bend."

Oh Lordy

I sure hope no one out there has been holding their breath since my last post. If you look forward to reading this stuff--my apologies. If you don't--look away. If you're indifferent--well, I'm still here and hopefully you're still there.

There are actually 3 half-written posts behind the scenes of this bloggy blog. I'm kind of like the Notre Dame football team--I march all the way down the field and then just can't convert on all that good effort and strategy. So this post is my equivalent of a Notre Dame punt.

I've been told that using the word "overwhelming" is a subconscious admission of self-defeat...so life has been... "plentiful" lately. Very "full."

Which each new semester of grad school comes something new and challenging. The 1st semester, the challenge was simply being back in a classroom, reading textbooks, and writing papers after (a small) number of years out of the classroom. The challenge 2nd semester was my very first online class. The next class was my very first summer course. Last fall was the first semester attempting to take two classes while working at the same time. And this semester, the challenge is trying to take two ACCOUNTING classes at the same time.

And these classes are making life "plentiful." I'm not under the impression I'm the first to discover that juggling work, school, a house, and a George Clooney is tough. I'm singing the song of working mothers and non-traditional students everywhere, I know. But now that's my song, too, I'm going to sing it loud and proud!