One of my daughters moved home.  She's got a new job and has moved home to save money.  However, we've had no children at home for about four years.  My husband and I settled into our house.  This is a nice way of saying we had accumulated a lot of stuff.

This means it's time for spring cleaning!  The year has turned towards spring.  The days are warmer.  The yard is green, the trees are starting to bud.  It's time to clear out our space in order to make room for our daughter and to clear out our clutter.

With my mobility issue, my husband has been left to take care of the basement and other areas which are hard for me to access.  However, this past weekend, I started on my office.  I've been saying for several years I need to reorganize and clear out.  I've finally started.

I'm going to be honest - the first steps were hesitant and difficult.  Do I really need the edit copies of my manuscripts?  Do I really need a paper copy of all this stuff?  Do I need all the supplies in the drawers?  Do I need all the books (yes I know it's really hard to let them go but...)?  

I started slowly - very slowly.  My paper recycling filled up, along with a couple of other bags.  I sorted, put in all the standard piles - donate, discard, and keep.  Normally, I'm the one who is saying - let it go.  Over the years, I've gone to my family homes and helped them clear out, wrestled them to the ground to get them to let go of too much stuff.  In my office, I had to wrestle with myself.  It's funny how the oddest things become IMPORTANT to us.  

I laughed at myself as I found bills which didn't need to be kept and scolded myself for not discarding them sooner.  I struggled with letting my edited manuscripts go.  I had no use for them.  They serve no purpose.  Yet as I discarded, I felt like I was letting go of a close friend.  

With my limitations, I have to pace myself.  I worked on Saturday for several hours.  When I looked at the room around me, I thought all I've done is make a bigger mess.  I did.  Yet in creating more chaos, I also cleared out, sorted, organized, cleaned.  

It felt good.  It felt really good to swipe away the dust, discard the papers, fill a box of items to go on a rummage sale, and throw out things.  

When I had to stop for the day, I knew I would be tackling more the next day.  I'd reached a tipping point though.  I knew I wanted to get more done in the office, wanted to finish cleaning and organizing.  

It's spring.  The weather has been tumultuous and unpredictable.  Cleaning out my office, reorganizing it has thrown it into chaos but when I'm done, it will be tamed.  When it's done, I can cleanse it spiritually and it will be full circle.