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Cleanliness is, indeed, next to Godliness. John Wesley (1703-1784) mentioned in a sermon on dress
Junk collecting can, and is, a way of life for some people. My mother was (and probably still is) the queen of rat-packing. Her junk would usually begin in her bedroom and spill out into the hallway, filling other rooms like a cancer infesting every part of the body. My bedroom became an oasis. So long as I could make it from the front door to my haven, I was safe from the paper scourge. Where I live at the base of Sequoia National Park in Central California, a common residence is usually a house with a minimum of five acres. Home owners need this much room to store their collectibles, as evidence by the numerous storage sheds that dot their land. As for myself, I’ve always been proud of my organizational skills and avoiding the rat packing syndrome. I like to travel as light as possible. Too many possessions can leave you...possessed. So, how do I explain how I suddenly acquired a decades’ worth of odds ‘n’ ends? Where did all this junk come from and who placed it in this two-story out building? Alas, I have only to look in the mirror to find the answer. Out of sheer laziness, whenever I’d acquire enough magazines, articles, newspapers, letters, and other writings that would clutter my enormous three foot by six foot desk to the point that I simply couldn’t work or find anything, I’d just gather the vast memorabilia, throw it in an available box, and toss it in storage. Done deal. Clean area. I’m just so proud of my clean, organized life. All should follow my example... These past three and a half months, I’ve been cursing myself as I wade through the task of sorting, filing, deleting and overall reorganizing the excess junk from my life. My goal was to cut 50% out of existence, and with great fortitude that goal has been accomplished. I’ve come to know the people at the recycle center on a first name basis. Aside from the loss of excess baggage, I’ve also somehow managed to lose 12 pounds of body weight; looking better than I did when heading to China to bike the Great Wall over 13 years ago! People have actually taken notice. What’s your secret, Kevin? New diet? Yes, I deadpan, not only have I cut out the junk food, but the junk as well. I can now dead lift 50 pounds of paper without hesitation while climbing a flight of stairs. When the junk was piled up to the ceiling and stacked tight, all I kept thinking was, Lord, forgive me for I have sinned. Open up the earth and swallow this mutated mass before my eyes... And the Lord spoke and said, Son, thou hast created a grievous sin before mine eyes. Hence, you shall suffer the fate of removing the waste from mine sight and be redeemed through the suffering, but fear not, for I shall be with you even unto the end of the task. Hence, I began to get to work. Awake from the morning until the evening, I would go through each pile a box at a time, trashing what I didn’t want, saving what I still think I can’t part with, until the days and weeks began to pass; Summer turning into Fall, always looking forward to those little blessings when an area would be cleared enough to walk around in and be able to move freely about. I never thought the place would turn out so clean and organized once again. I feel euphoric! A great weight has been lifted from my sight! I’m ready to clean and organize the world!!!... Come to think of it, I suppose I could go through the bins once again and do more cutting. I’ll bet it’s possible to omit at least 50% from the newly created pile that sits before me. It would certainly be a challenge to say the least... And then I’d have to keep a stern hand on the incoming junk, never allowing it to get too out of control. Perhaps just a few boxes at a time... Life can be an ongoing accumulation of useless, mindless collected junk that in reality won’t end until our deaths. The bright side is that upon death, we will only be taking with us our life’s accumulated memories and experiences, and leave the rest of the earthly mass behind. Until next month, Kevin |
