"Clutter" is NOT a 4-letter word!

So I'm going through one of my episodes where I feel a need to rearrange everything in the house. It started with the livingroom and trying to make room for our Christmas tree. From there I moved to the kitchen in hopes of opening up more room to walk and make it easier to serve meals, get drinks, etc. And as I was moving all sorts of items and furniture it struck me just how much STUFF we have. That right away got me thinking about my mom and all the self-help books she gets from the library on how to cut clutter.

Now, I'm not saying people should live as slobs... but what is wrong with clutter? There is a difference between a cluttered house and one that is messy. My mom is always talking about trying to reduce clutter and how she is going to have a yard sale to get rid of some stuff. Then when she has the yardsale, she puts out things like the hurricane lamps she collected for years. Angel figurines and crystal bells - also parts of her collections over the years - end up with little price stickers on them and sitting on a table. I understand her desire to have a neat house - and more storage space - but in a way it is almost heartbreaking to see the stuff that used to bring her joy being sacrificed because the "experts" say to get rid of anything you haven't used in the past 6 months.

On our mantle is a small collection of rocks, stick, and dried flowers. There really is no rhyme or reason to these items - they are just little things that caught my daughter's eye as she was walking outside and she just HAD to bring it in the house. These items serve no purpose other than to take up space. They aren't pretty. They aren't useful. But I wouldn't get rid of them for the world because of the memories attached to them.

I like my clutter. It is comfortable and cozy. It holds memories and brings a smile to my lips. I think I'll keep it a while longer.