The magic of tidying

[Dimity]

Hi @Last-Lament it's good you have the extended time for decisionmaking. Less pressure.

I used to make marmalade but no longer keep jars as my pink grapefruit preserves won't set. 

I looked at files today - scitech papers, many were out of date. I tossed about 50% and will reappraise the rest further down the track. It made me realise that quite a few of my books will be out of date too. I have a lot of books offsite in archive boxes - the boxes are strong, with good grips, and stackable. 

I'm sorry you lost your photo/image collections, it's easy to feel very invested in what we've created or collected. My photocopies are in several different subject areas from changes of career and periods of research or study. They represent unfinished business that needs resolution.or closure so there's a bit of pain in dealing with some. The legacy of years of trying to work with poor MH.

What are you thinking of tackling next? I'll stick with the files for a while then think about the kitchen.

Cheers

Dimity

[Last-Lament]

Reporting in @Dimity @pinklollipop15 @HenryX with the latest inroads. 

Oh, Dimity, going through files like that can be so heartwrenching, so many thoughts related to our sense of personal value around revisiting those times, which of course happens: the memories just awaken in response to sighting the things from our pasts.

50% - that's really well done, because I can imagine the amount of paperwork you might have. I love books, so having to move books on (sounds better to me than saying 'get rid of') is always a sad thing, no matter how important it is to get it done. The speed with which study books go out of date is increasing isn't it. 

You've taken very commendable steps toward reaching your goals. Well done! I hope you can devise a way to find resolution or closure with those things you're grieving. 

Thank you for your kind words too about my photo losses, it is difficult, but I think I've come to a point of acceptance with it, rather than the enormity of the emotional pain I used to feel at having lost the reminders. 

To answer your question about what I'm going to tackle next, I had no idea, and I was about to write a response to you much earlier today to say that. then I had to put the washing away and I decided right there and then that the wardrobe shelves needed sorting! So that became the next step. 

I'd done the Marie Kondo thing with the wardrobe over a year ago, but it really did need a tidy up and a removal of things no longer 'sparking joy' or even useful to me. I finally tossed the footwear that is not good, or safe for me to wear anymore, there were a few tears over that because with the foot problems I have, I buy several pairs at once when I find something that works, and wear my shoes for years. They become friends almost. I had hoped that the health issues I'd experienced after falling a few years ago would dissipate, but they have not, and with the spinal stenosis, the importance of supportive footwear has been made clear to me. Mind you, I have worn mostly flat shoes for most of my life, so heels are not the issue, just pretty sandals and shoes I enjoyed wearing. 

While I was at it, I made a couple of drawstring bags to hold the newer shoes and to keep them protected whilst in the wardrobe. A tip I saw on a Marie K series. 

I haven't finished in there yet, but it's a good start, and I tidied it all up before walking away for tonight, so I can still sleep with out the pressure of having to do something instead of sleeping. 

The plan right now is to continue with the wardrobe tomorrow. But, I have lemons in the fridge that I might just have to make into Salt Preseved Lemons because the last jar I made is almost used now, or I might decide to make up some Lemon Butter, or even Passionfruit Butter with the frozen passionfruit juice (minus seeds) I have from last season. My mind is sometimes really, really unpredictable about what ideas it's gonna have from one day to the next. When I was at Uni, (mature aged single parent with school kids) I had to timetable every minute in an effort to make sure things got done, now I make lists of things I want to do, and still don't always keep to it. 

It might be my minds' way of keeping me interested in life. 

Dimity, what did you choose to work on since your last post? or did  you rest and recover? So sorry your Pink Grapefruit preserves aren't setting, I've been having troubles with some jams too and I'm pretty sure there's been some changes with the way sugar is refined or something that has an impact on cooking results. I can't get toffee to, well, toffee-fy!

I have some JamSetta on hand in case jam making becomes difficult, and had to resort to using much more of it than usual with my last lots of apricot and strawberry jams. It's troublesome because sugar is used for it's preservative properties. It's a long time since I had a pink grapefruit, hope you can still enjoy them somehow.

I hope whatever plans you, and those reading along, have in mind are coming to fruition in whatever ways you choose to make that happen. 

[Dimity]

@Last-Lament @pinklollipop15 @HenryX 

Well done @Last-Lament on your efforts and I sympathise with your sadness in parting with nice shoes that are no longer practical. I hope you've found orthotic friendly brands like Ziera - Zagarra is an outlet that's been popping up on my FB feed.

I think my marmalade problem is too little pectin. I have a grapefruit tree that is bountiful. It hadn't occurred to me that the sugar may be different- I wonder if there's a corrective hack like using butter for a good rice pudding now that milk is all homogenised. Lemon butter and various berry jams were family staples and my mother and grandmother occasionally made jellies - crabapple jelly and guava jelly come to mind.

Thanks for your deep insight into the wrench of dealing with my research papers. Some are easy to toss, some still spark interest and some remind me of long-lost friends and colleagues. And of course some relate to projects abandoned after MH crises, that I'd secretly hoped to re-engage with. So I'm slowly working through them and feel that a 50% cull rate is okay for a first pass. It will probably take weeks or months. Working batchwise on the coffee table seems to be going well. 

Last week I rearranged my wardrobe hanging space by item type and colour as a preliminary to decluttering but will tackle my chest of drawers first. If the weather is good this week I'll also aim for short stints in the garden weeding. Today I noticed one of my cymbidiums is in full flower - the poor thing was hiding under larger pot plants. My dendrobiums are lovely atm too.

One step at a time, day by day, I hope to persevere. It's taken years to accumulate this stuff so I'm not begrudging the time it will take to get on top of it. When lockdown lifts I hope to get a handyman in for some repairs so I have that as an interim goal.

Good luck with your efforts - I look forward to hearing your progress. 

Cheers

Dimity

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[Last-Lament]

Back again 

@Dimity Thank you for your suggestions about shoes, I will look into that when the next need for footwear arises. I haven't made rice pudding for the longest time, so didn't really think about the homogenisation of milk being an issue! I have something of an aversion to it since it was an unappetising all too regular food throughout childhood. We were much poorer than I ever truly understood until I reached adulthood. There was little to do with extended family, they lived interstate, so I learned from surrogate mothers along the way, and from reading. 

The abandoned for whatever reason, project items, be they paperwork, fabric work, whatever, are some of the most emotionally affecting items to make decisions about, aren't they. We must do our best, I think, to separate what we see as our personal values, achievements, failures, or expectations, from the item, so an assessment of the item can be made with our current understanding of our selves and where we are in life, and where we might be going to be travelling forward to, also. 

I've been gradually shifting the sewing/ craft/ teaching books from the book shelf to the garage box where I can decide on their future in a few weeks or so. The first decision was whether to keep them or not, and although they are still of value to me, they will not ever be used by me again, so keeping them would be contradictory to the current decluttering plan. Recently, I took on a challenge to make some baby clothes for a charity requesting them, so took back some books, then, the charity project fell through, so now I need to return them to the garage. Both funny and sad at the same time. 

I sorted some of my jewellery last night, and I was surprised at how detached I was from some of the pieces. Some still sparked that joy, and I'll keep those pieces, the others I will try to find new owners for. Some bits went straight into the bin. It's a job I've been putting off for too long. 

The clothing sorting went well too, I was able to remove the garments that no longer fit me and put them into a sewing recycle pile - I'll endeavour to use the fabrics and make a wearable garment, maybe a dress or a nightie or 2. The winter coat I have loved for so long, but has not fitted for too many years, but I could not relinquish due to memories attached, has gone into a charity pile along with some other garments that I won't bother to upcycle 'cos I don't like the fabric anymore. 

Dimity, your garden sounds delightful. Flowering plants are so uplifting, I hope you're getting lots of joyous moments from seeing your cymbidiums and dendrobiums in flower - such beautiful blooms (I looked them up to be sure I knew what they were given my memory isn't what it once was.) I miss my garden delights, but not the work it once was. The fuschia bulbs I have in a pot bloom once a year, this year I only got 3 flower stems from them sadly, but the perfume is glorious. I do get to use the parsley and leaves from my bay tree in cooking though. With the change in weather, the chillies are looking like they may produce also. 

Every item assessed and every decision made is another step on that pathway toward your goal. Working at a coffee table sounds really effective and my back is wishing I had not decided to clean the bathroom today! It starts with my eye catching 'just one thing' and goes from there. There's still a shelf in the wardrobe I will have to attack in the coming days too. 

I trust your projects are moving forward in their own ways @pinklollipop15  @HenryX  and anyone else reading along.

[Dimity]

Hi @Last-Lament 

It sounds as though you're getting quite a lot done. It's good you have the energy to rise to the occasion when you see something that needs doing. 

You're clever to be able to upcycle clothes. I've taken in the side seams of a few items but wouldn't know how to remodel them.

Craft books are quite precious. My dad was a hand weaver and gave his pattern books to a local guild. I'm sure others would appreciate yours.You might be able to list them on Gumtree.

Yesterday and today I managed some weeding. I get dizzy easily but was pleased to get some done. Like other things it will be a long term project. Gardening has made me anxious since a neighbour cut down most of the area I'd been tending. I also have a private area but I'd lost heart. I need to reimagine and rejuvenate the areas I can control. 

I'm persevering with the papers. Skimming them has been interesting. I even googled one of the topics to see what advances had been made and found errors had been recognised in some of the key readings I'd struggled with - so I felt vindicated. I'm happily discarding things that with hindsight are irrelevant or outdated and plan to recategorise others. One of my doctors suggested I might even return to study. 

I bought a new laptop a while back but have felt nervous about configuring it and transferring all my old files. I also need to set up my old printers again. I've been avoiding it, and I'm not sure why it's been so stressful. A bit like the decluttering. 

Onwards and upwards. Good luck with your efforts @Last-Lament  may they spark joy

Dimity 

[Dimity]

Hello @HenryX 

I saw on another thread you're planning to tackle your yard. What flowers and vegetables are you envisioning? When I've weeded I'm going to plant out some herbaceous perennials I've propagated. Then I might try to strike cuttings of some indigenous ground covers - little purple daisies - and maybe some of my everlastings that are getting leggy. 

[HenryX]

Hello @Dimity 

I'm cautious about projecting and planning future activities, partly because of increasing physical limitations. While I really dislike the problems and even talking about them, the impact of the spinal stenosis on the nerves in my back and legs is seriously limiting. The sensation in feet and lower legs has been severely compromised, leading to problems with balance. Hence the use of a staff to assist walking and standing still. I cannot stand for any length of time either.

Like many other people, I try to ignore the problems and reality. These comments on my situation are being written because I am beginning to accept the futility of attempting to ignore the problems. Also, I am hoping that by 'talking' about them, I may, in some way, reach acceptance and look at alternative ways to accomplish what I want to do.

Even recent work on the fence was mostly, for my part, done on knees and one hand and arm. The other hand/arm was digging out the holes where the old concrete and rock had been broken up by a friend using a jack hammer. I have since been able to do some shovel and raking in preparation for vegetable garden beds. However, it is a matter of very steady and taking breaks as needed.

Often times, the difficulty is just putting on working clothes and getting outside. Overcoming the pain and consequent "inertia". It is just too easy to sit at the computer and simply occupy myself that way.

But I am aware that if I am not making progress in outside activities, I am going backwards.

In terms of the thread topic, it appears that I may have a place to stay that is a short distance from where I live. This will allow me to work from a pleasant base that may be, I hope, more conducive to preparing myself for outside activity. That will, I hope again, help me to 'get a handle' on the decluttering and reduction in superfluous material that I have collected, in the hope of using someday. The problem being that the days, during which I could have used most of the material, are not in the future, but have, in reality, long passed.

The idea of 'reduction in baggage' is supported by the hope for a functional garden. One in which I can grow my own vegetables and flowers. That is the goal to help me get through the work required.

That really is where I am at right now. And looking forward to a more enjoyable future.

With Best Wishes

@HenryX 

[Dimity]

Hello @HenryX 

I can understand and appreciate your positioñ re making plans, given your situation.  For me visualising small achievements within my capacity is a way of motivating myself and measuring up against my physical limitations. I'd like to find a reliable handyman to help with the repairs and maintenance that I can't do myself. 

I also hear you re living elsewhere but it needs careful consideration.  I've been renting my sister's granny flat while remaining in my own home. It effectively doubles the expense and upkeep for limited gains. I can't access it during lockdown nor can I arrange the renovations I'd been hoping for. It's been an extra storage space and as such has probably distracted me from dealing with the stored items. I'm having to reconsider my options as I can't afford to continue the arrangement indefinitely. I might have to live through my kitchen and bathroom updates in situ, if ever. 

I didn't get into the garden today. I had a couple of telehealth appointments and went for a walk instead. I'll do some filing this evening. 

[Last-Lament]

The long term goals of decluttering sometimes seem a bit insurmountabl @Dimity . Sometimes they feel so overwhelming. Sometimes sad and sometimes uplifting. The whole process is an intricate tapestry of interconnected physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, and mental experiences, feelings, hopes, dreams and realisations. 

I don't clean and tidy because I like to do it, I really dislike doing it, but I do like the sensation of a clean, tidy space to live in. There is a reason I put in the effort and that is because if I let myself become lax and don't do the things that I know need to be done, and more time passes and I don't get it done, the untidiness becomes compounded.

That ongoing compounded untidiness or clutter, then becomes a major imposition on me, taking up more time and effort to do than it would have taken had I done the small things in the first place. 

The gathering or collection of items over time, things I might need or use is a separate matter from the 'do what needs to be done when it needs to be done' sort of idea. 

This past week I have sorted storage spaces, culled the no longer relevant to my life, and decluttered, dusted, tidied, and cleaned.  Then I boxed the items for moving on, and binned those not good enough to reuse. 

I still have a significant amount of my sewing to contend with though, but that will be an ongoing situation as I find storage containers for various things and make up the fabrics into new clothes (having culled my wardrobe so extensively, there's not much left in there!). 

I'm very tired, exhausted in fact, but it's a good feeling to have gotten this far. I was forced to adapt to physically doing less than I would prefer to do due to my spine and injuries, to get the best results from my life, I needed to accept that my physical prowess was not, and never will be again, what it used to be. That was difficult, and that assessment, combined with smaller spaces for living in, has evoked a need for me to be more mindful of what brings me any spark of upliftment - thus does my decluttering journey continue. 

Good fortune to those of you who are forging your own paths whatever they may be, and where ever they may lead you. 

[Dimity]

Hello @Last-Lament I admire you and @HenryX in persevering despite significant back problems and setbacks. It sounds as though you've been resolute and diligent in your efforts. Doing what needs to be done is compelling and necessary but oh-so-difficult if/when depressed and overwhelmed. Rising above the sloth and inertia necessitates literal transcendence of habit - of that binding of memory-logic-will at the core of being, and finding a formula to achieve that becomes a quest in itself. Which is I guess a convoluted way of saying I'm stuck in the overwhelm and needing to conquer one tabletop at a time, which works with files but not so well with more complex tasks or intangibles. I have good intentions and will plod on. I'd like to list some items on Gumtree when lockdown lifts, and I'll also get access again to about 2,000 books and several boxes of craft projects.

Onwards and upwards.