DECLUTTER HIGH

2 days after my anxiety attack I grabed my camera, climbed into the attic, got the evil inserts out, took a picture and stuffed them in the trash.

I had to do it quickly and in one swift motion, but I did it. My hands were barely shaking and my main emotion was embarrassment. I felt embarrassed because I couldn't get rid of them on my first attempt. 

I went back up into the attic. I started picking stuff for recycling out of a box (like games the kids cut out from the backs of cereal boxes and stuff like it). I found more and more. I threw out 3 empty boxes, 2 small boxes full of recycling, 10 more items of clothing that my friend will take home to poor farming families in Poland and all of a sudden I came across our old wardrobe. Seeing that reminded me that I wanted to ask my friend Jill how many hangers she needed. But wait. Jill said she needed a simple rack first to even put the hangers somewhere. Well. Didn't I have the perfect solution! I would offer it to Jill! If you want to find out if she took it come back in a few days!

REBOUND

Things were looking grim the last few days. The place in shambles and no motivation what so ever to get back out of it. Today I finally managed to get started. I restacked the still leftover books from 2 big boxes into 4 little boxes in the hopes of getting rid of them when they pick up recycling on Friday. My thinking is, if the box is too heavy, they will not take it. I am not sure if I dare to put them all out at once, as I have a whole banana box full of folded cardboard that needs to get out of the house, too. I think I will just see how much extra stuff the neighbours still have. The first time they picked up recycling after Christmas there was as much stuff next to the bins as was in the bins.  So we will see. There is at least 1 more banan box full of books in the garage, but that one will defintiely have to wait.

I dropped of about 10 books at the semi public book shelf at the school that had room again, even though it wasn't much room.

Getting all the cardboard boxes the kids had been playing with out of the living room made a big difference. Stumbling over 2 things in the basement that I was able to discard off without thinking too much about it and 2 more things out of the kitchen that I was thinking of getting rid of the last few weeks did brighten my day. I feel like I can get more done, tomorrow!

FROM VICTORY TO DRAMA

Here I was, so excited about my good progress with the million books. Guess what. The used book store didn't want them. The first public book shelf was not accessible by car, the second wasn't as public as I hoped and was in a locked building. Shelf #3 and 4 were full.

I had to admit to myself that nobody would ever want those books. At least I can not think of anyone who wanted novels that are 30 to 50 years old or even older.

Now that I am facing having to throw the books away I feel the urge to re-sort them. So far I resisted. The forum I am on suggested offering them for free, online. I hadn't event hought of that. I will give them a week to evaporate that way. Then they will end up in recycling!

SMALL VICTORIES

Today I tossed a bag full of plastic bags. I was about to dig through them to sort them into "still usuable" and trash. The first one was sticky, the second one smelled kind of musty. When I pulled out the third I asked myself:"What on earth are you doing?" I stuffed the first 2 bags back in and tossed the whole lot. I reminded myself that I have a whole drawer full of perfect plastic bags that I can turn to when in need of one.

2 days ago I had a bag with 20-30 batteries that had accumulated after going through a fair amount of boxes. I looked at them. They all appeared to be used. I knew I had to check them all to see if any of them were charged still. "You know what," I said to myself. "You don't have to do that. You really don't. They are obviously all used and it would be a perfect waste of your time." Off to the correct recycle bin they went.

I AM MAKING PROGRESS!