an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources, stewardship.

i have stuff. lots and lots of stuff. i have so much stuff that my house at time fills overstuffed with stuff. i shift stuff from closet to closet. i invent cubby spaces to house table overflow and shake drawers in awkward attempts to settle the contents.

i am overwhelmed by stuff. it fills my life. shoe boxes 22 year old bath sheet desk organizers suitcases that jammie thing i bought one night (i blame the insomnia) dresses i stopped wearing three sizes ago car seats and high chairs and bottle sanitizer kits. my house would scream for help if its mouth weren’t already full.

there are times i take pity on it. those are the purging days. days when anything that makes me feel cramped gets tossed in the trash. i lost my favorite screwdriver that way as did my best pair of converse. my son’s things are more victim prone however. he watches me now recognizing the shaky leg and itchy hand of an impending toss. he’s saved blue on multiple occasions because he was faster than my quickest grab ’em up.

i have to do better. get better organized i tell myself. i have boxes and kits and books and more stuff on organizing. but the truth is among the stuff i have no idea where it’s landed. there are times when i just want to walk away from the clutter and disorder. just start all over again. in a nice new clean house. with freshly painted eggshell white walls and spotless hardwood floors. then i start flipping through my ikea catalog wandering…what kind of stuff will i need to fill my new place.