I Like Empty Spaces

Today I spent the whole day helping one of my friends get her house organized. My friend has always been a very organized person and has always kept her home clean. Unlike some of my clients who live in constant disarray, she has lived in order most of her life. Unfortunately, a kitchen flood, during the time of a home improvement project, created such chaos that she became overwhelmed. Having another set of eyes (and hands) to get things rolling was just what she needed.

Unlike people who are used to chaos, she was willing to let go of the things that had started to pile up. Most people do not. Part of creating order is getting rid of things you do not need. Knowing what you need and what you do not need is often a difficult process.

Do you need that extra three feet of baseboard, even though all the baseboard is complete? How much left over tile do you keep? Do you need the second piece of flexible plumbing hose that you bought when you could not find the first piece? Do you still have the receipt to take it back? Do you put it in the garage or in the trash? Are you going to move it from place to place because you spent $6.00 on it and you can’t bear to part with it but the receipt is gone so you can’t take it back? These were easy questions for my friend to answer but they are not easy for everyone.

I have met people who are true hoarders, who keep everything from trash to treasures, often mixed together. Hoarders pay for storage units and can’t walk through a room in their house without tripping over things. They may or may not even know what they have and they certainly can’t enjoy or use many of their possessions. Fortunately, the majority of people are not at the extreme end of the spectrum but they have tendencies for hoarding, especially with certain items. Some can’t bear to throw away (or give away) anything that was a gift, even if they do not like it or have a duplicate. Others will re-gift but keep any item they think could be considered art and craft supplies. Some people keep clothes they will never wear, others keep several sets of dishes in a box somewhere but only use one set in the kitchen. Some keep every birthday card they ever received, every ticket stub, every postcard because everything has sentimental value.

There are also people like me, who live minimally. We do not own as much stuff. We do not think of things as having much in the way of sentimental value. I go through my clothes every season and get rid of anything I did not wear, I am not a shopper, and I don’t have displays or collections. I take things to the thrift store on a regular basis. If I have not used something for a period of time, I realize I don’t need it. If I don’t need it, I let it go. There is also a type of person at the far end of this spectrum, I call them the unhoarder. I had an aunt who had nothing in her garage but a car. No shelves, not one can of paint, no tools. Her home had less in it than a model house. She had two pieces of art on the wall of the living room, no knickknacks, and nothing in her junk drawer (I checked). Instead of buying her gifts, we took her to lunch or the symphony. We knew it would be something she enjoyed, she considered things a burden that had to be cared for.

My sister once said that if your house is worth $300 a square foot why do you have $2 worth of junk cluttering up that $300 space. Leave it empty to appreciate or place something of value in it. I agree. For me, it is fun to get rid of things, organize what is left, and appreciate the empty spaces.