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Community Corner

How The Seasons Can Teach Us A Lesson About Clutter

Every season is a clutter-free present waiting to be unwrapped.

As the lazy days of summer begin to wind down, what memories do you long to hold onto the most?  Maybe it's the warm gentle breezes, the smell of fresh cut grass, the songs of seasonal birds, the time spent with loved ones on vacations or days in the park.  In reality it's a good thing that I am unable, or require the need to, hold on to these memories in a physical form because my genie's lamp would become too cramped with yesterday's memories, leaving no room to enjoy my upcoming favorite season, fall. 

I believe the summer season can teach us an important lesson about clutter.  For example, do you find it hard to eliminate items from your home because you fear you will lose the memory attached with that item forever?

What if I told you I could debunk that myth just by asking you a few simple questions?  At this point, I would like you to grab a piece of paper and pen.

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Let's pretend I am at your home during one of our de-Cluttering sessions.  I would ask you to share a few of your most memorable activities you participated in over the summer.  As you excitedly recall these events I will also ask you to write them down.

I might hear "Oh we had a great time at the amusement park, museum, hiking, trip to Paris (I would be jealous,) a week at the beach," etc. I would then ask you if you were able to take the Eiffel Tower, beach or forest home with you?  I always get a chuckle from this question but I ask it to prove an important point.  Do you need to have the Eiffel Tower in your home to keep the memory of this once in a lifetime trip alive?  Of course, not!

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Then I would ask to tap into your long term memories and share your favorite memories from summer pasts.  As a flood of memories come rushing back, I bet you could spend hours recalling events spanning all the back to your childhood.  Again write down a quick sentence for each memorable event.  That one piece of paper is now the clutter-free catalyst which will keep these memories alive forever.  

Just as we love to keep this summer's memories alive through photos and scrapbooks, the same method can be used to eliminate clutter from your home.

Free up valuable space in your home by taking photos of possessions that you want to remember, but don’t have the space for. These photos can then be transferred with your summer memory sheet into a special keepsake journal or scrapbook which can be added to and cherished for generations. 

While I can't take home my favorite vacation destination, Walt Disney World, I know that every season is a clutter-free present waiting to be unwrapped, filled with family memories to hold in my heart forever. Your heart is your best de-cluttering tool as it has endless space for memories to be filled with!

Please feel free to share with us a few of your clutter-free memories you created this summer.

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