“I’ll keep this just in case…”
My modern day Groundhog.
In the past four months I've found myself in a Groundhog Day situation.
It was a typical organizing session, we were sorting and clearing away the excess. The focus was on the linen closet.
While the closet had ample space to house extra sheets, a blanket or two, and some towels, it was filled to overflowing.
So out the stuff came and onto the floor we went to sort.
8 blankets
4 sets of sheets (some to beds they didn't own anymore)
Towels galore
Heating Pad
Beach Towels
Tablecloths
How many blankets do you need?
How many blankets do you want?
Where do you want your blankets? In the rooms? On the sofa?
How many extra set of sheets do you want?
What rooms are they for? Do you really need a spare for the guest bed, the one that sees guests 3 times a year?
What about these towels? Are they the towels you use everyday or spares?
Now this is where the organizing took a nose dive.
These are just some old towels - we use different ones now. As for the blankets, I mean we really don't need all of these. We have our favorites out and in use.
Based on that feedback, I grabbed my "up for adoption" bag and began to add the blankets and the towels to it.
Screeching halt.
You know, I'm going to keep these blankets and these towels. Just in case, you know?
No, I don't know- please explain. Just in case .... what?
The dogs come in and have muddy paws.
We lose power in a snowstorm and I need to extra blankets to keep us warm.
For (insert child's name), she may want it when she goes to college.
And so on and so forth the reasons came sputtering out.
If I had a penny for every time I heard a client say they wanted to keep something just in case - well I would have about $2. But you get the point.
I'm going to save these clothes just in case I lose weight.
Just in case I gain weight.
I'm going to keep these candles just in case we lose power.
I'm going to keep these party supplies / platters / entertain whatnots just in case we have a party this year.
I'm going to keep these camping supplies just in case we get the urge to go again.
I'm going to keep these (whatever) just in case (some logical sounding excuse).
Aside from finding the time to organize and getting started, our justifications are what keep us from getting organized.
Did you hear me?
It is not the size of your home.
It is not the boxes of memories that you inherited.
It is not the busyness of your lives.
The hurdle lives in your head. It is a mental obstacle.
It is the "just in case" and the "maybe" and the "but my husband/mom/sister gave it to me".Have you ever noticed where you use justifications in your life?
I, for one, use them when the alarm goes off.
Just a few more minutes because I got in the bed later than usual.
I don't have to wash my hair today so I can snooze one more time.
I don't need to read my Bible, God will understand that I need my rest.
I also use them when I've had a long day and just don't want to exercise. One day wont make a big difference, I tell myself.
Look around you. If your home is feeling full and weighing you down, then peel back the mental layer. What are you justifying?
What are your just in case excuses?
Are you ready to ditch them for freedom?