Since I returned from vacation on July 5th I’ve been a nearly-crazy-Kate about getting rid of things.  Though I am not sure what triggered my new clarity, I do know I can no longer handle excess stuff… tangible stuff, paper stuff, emotional stuff, unnecessary stuff.  To be frank, I can barely handle the necessary stuff.

It started in our master bathroom and spread to our master bedroom and then to our closet.  I removed unnecessary items from the shower as well as the countertop, streamlined under-sink storage, recycled empty bottles, and disposed of a large bag of trash.  I corralled our dirty clothes into six sorters: whites, darks, brights, jeans, towels, and miscellaneous, and removed them from our master bedroom.  I touched every item of clothing in our closet and removed a quarter of my clothes to donate to the local thrift store.

As this organization obsession began to extend beyond our home and into my workplace, I felt out of control.  The motivation I felt to simplify my life and our home was real, but I wanted to identify its source.  I read from books I love, listened to music, stayed up thinking, talked with Daniel, debated with my mom, and came up withsome ideas: (more…)