Britton and I have been going systematically through our house trying to purge ourselves of everything that is unnecessary. I’ve found a huge amount of junk that I have no idea why we have kept all these years except maybe that they were our favorites or useful at one point: T-shirts with holes in them, shoes that are falling apart, old bills and papers. I’ve also found some things that are harder to let go like my porcelain doll collection from when I was a kid (that I haven’t looked at in about 8 years!) or some of our furniture (like “Schnoodle’s” couch -we call it that because it is so worn out it is embarrassing to have humans use it but Schnoodle doesn’t mind). But progress and thoughts of Puerto Rico keep the purge surging.

Just one of many bags of old ripped clothes

Each weekend we pick an area or two to focus on. And we’re almost done. We’ve gone through the spare bedroom upstairs. We’ve gone through our bathrooms’ (all three) shelves and cabinets (and threw out a huge pile of old nail polishes and expired vitamins!).  We went through the coat closet and under the kitchen sink. We’ve sorted through the kitchen drawers (a couple of times, because things seem to just get drawn there). We’ve gone through all the Christmas stuff in the basement and under the stairs. We cleaned out the garage. Under the bed. In the cars. It’s amazing how much junk accumulates and all the dust and grime that settles there.

These shoes have got to go!

We’ve thrown out about 8 black hefty bags of stuff that was just pushed to the corners in our house. Stuff that used to be a part of our lives, but now we’ve grown out of so it needs to be thrown out. Other stuff  will be either sold on Craigslist, Ebay or at a garage sale or given to a thrift store.  The standard for keeping something is pretty high. We have to use it fairly often. We have to like it. It has to be in good shape. Or it has to have very high sentimentality. Basically, there has to be a real purpose to it. Otherwise, out!

Still have a ways to go, but at least we can see the floor unlike before!

I have a theory that everything that we do or that happens to us externally is a reflection of our inner world for better or for worse. Really, everything around us is a reflection of us. We created this! So I think that not only are we purging out our junk but also some of the drama in our lives. The drama that builds up in the corners of our minds. Those certain weird vibes that reside in certain people and things. The drama that serves no real purpose but for some odd reason we have a hard time letting go.

All this junk can leave our house, and also our mind.  We will see much more clearly and feel so much better. To me, I have high standards for my home. It’s not that it is the cleanest in the world, but it’s also not a mess. It has a lot of open space for possibilities to come in. But I also want to be selective of what comes into my life. I want to make sure it creates the best chance for success. Your home could be seen as a reflection of your mind. Is it cluttered or neat? Creative or boring? A sanctuary of positivity or a dark den of despair? It’s up to you to create boundaries and kick out the junk when it no longer serves its purpose. Control of your mind…and sometimes even your home can be tough, but you have to stick to your rules and periodically purge. And when all’s said and done, it feels good to get it out!