Welcome to 2014! So glad to be here, I must say. No grand celebration. Just hanging out with family. Karina went to her boyfriend's family for the eve, so it was the three of us who just made it to midnight. Everyone slept in, which was a nice start.
We launched get rid of crap day. Three large boxes and three bags later, we've only done Kelly's clothes, three of my drawers, one of Karissa's drawers and her closet. Why do we have so much stuff??? Why couldn't I let go of the dresses I bought well before the girls' naming almost nine years ago that really didn't fit post-radiation? Why did I have five reject swimsuits from Karina? Those were easy-- only one takini will fit over my feeding tube. What do you do with t-shirts that you love but are hopelessly too big? No, don't say pajamas-- that drawer is overflowing, too.
I meant to move on to the next set of drawers, but only got as far as dumping all my bras and underwear on the bed. Then I started making the black eyed peas, unloading the dishwasher, refereeing the arguing; you know, the usual. Kelly and I did break out of the house for an hour to run to Shopko. I thought we were going to get so much taken care of and use the senior discount, too (the Shopko card is my mom's, but they don't have a Shopko). Pick up Karina's prescription. No, pharmacy closed. Karina's make-up? Don't have it in Nordic White (and I lost the bottle she gave me to boot.) Planning ahead birthday gift for Karissa? Nope, nothing, nada that matched up with the coupon and my desire to have anymore plastic toys in my house. We did manage to procure some new flannel sheets as ours developed a large hole. Apparently 13 years is the life expectancy of cheap flannel sheets.
After we got home, there was a little picking up, a little clearing up, and a lot of arguing. Karissa has made it her mission to argue. No, she is not going to practice piano. No, she is not going to read. No, she is not going to do her speech homework. No, she is not going to her room. Clearly we hate her. Around and around and around. Please, please, please let this be the last vestiges of eight and not the harbinger of nine. Please?
Of course, she also hates everything we are having for dinner. Hates, hates, hates it, I am told loudly. And she is NOT eating it. Okay. Everyone seemed to enjoy dinner. Kelly and Karina said the black eyed peas were good. I wish I had not opted to blend my salad with mine as it turned a fairly unattractive green color. Karissa ate more salad than I've ever seen her eat, but had to be cajoled into taking at least one bite of black eye peas. Did I mention she apparently hates them?
We had not even all got up from the table when Karissa made a mad dash for the garbage can and, well, barfed her guts out. This is me, because Kelly is blood and I am vomit. I clean her face off, suction the carrot out of her nose, give her Advil and set her to undress so I can wash the puke out of her hair. She hurls again. I go to get some ginger ale or similar out of the sick cabinet. I tell Kelly I think it is just that she had a little fever, her usual MO. Except, he says, he felt a little queasy at dinner. Next thing I know, he is driving the porcelain bus. What the heck? We all ate the same food for several meals. If anyone was going to get sick, you'd think I'd be the canary in the coal mine since the food is going straight into my stomach, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. What?
All digested food laundered off the girl. Kelly feels fine post-yak. We settle in to watch Despicable Me 2, which is apparently even more funny if you have seen all the movies it steals from (which would not be me). In case you were wondering, yes, I did read a book while watching. Karissa not only says she feels fine, she proceeds to drink a quart of Gatorade and eat an entire sleeve of saltines. What?
So we have begun divesting ourselves of stuff. Karissa and Kelly divested themselves of food for some unknown reason. Only 472 more cupboards, boxes, drawers, closets, and tubs to go through. Oh, and pack up the Christmas stuff. And get the girls ready to go back to school next week. And write those three month overdue thank you notes. Yes, I know bringing up the thank you notes is self flagellating. I said I was getting rid of crap for the new year, not quitting guilt. I haven't stopped breathing!
My questions for you are: 1) what is the best way you have found to get rid of stuff? 2) Have you ever regretted getting rid of something? 3) Have you ever regretted keeping something?
I realized I didn't divulge my promised information. We received a separate EOB for day one and day two of my stay so far. Day one, in which I was only in my room approximately two hours, the bill was $58,000 (I'm rounding to the nearest thousand). Day two was a bit better at a mere $50,000. I can hardly wait to see what the other 14 days cost. When you roll these costs in with the costs from my previous surgeries and radiation, know that I would have exceeded my lifetime cap if that restriction hadn't been lifted. This is the cost of life, at least for me.
Until day two of this New Year, take care!
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2 comments:
GOOD MORNING...
MISSED YOU AT THE SIT IN THE DIP..!!
ABOUT THE THINGS YOU CAN'T GET RID OF..TAKE PIX..PUT IN A SHUTTERFLY BOOK AND MOVE ON!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY..HOPE ALL ARE WELL!
)))))))))))))))))0XOXOXO
Ok, here is he trick to declutter. Now that you have done some bags and boxes. Just get rid of them. Don't let them live in your home. You go out, they go out and get dropped off at the donation center before the rest of the errands,
Now look around the room and choose one vertical spot that you want to clear. Two inch square or two square feet of vertical space, it doesn't matter, just a vertical space you want clear. Decide where the stuff that is there needs to go and put it there.
Keep, donate or trash. Those are your only questions when you are clearing things out,
Now keep that vertical space clear for a week, when you are overwhelmed by anything, look at that spot and take comfort in the fact that that space is easy to dust.
Look at the collections you have and decide if they bring you joy or do you keep them because you would feel guilty about getting rid of something that gave someone else joy to give to you.
This one was hard. When it came to the kids art work for me. Their stuff took up most of a walk in closet. The stuff was getting ruined and I was not taking joy in it. No one could see it. I took digital pictures of all of it and tossed everything that did not fit into a small tupper box. Now I have an amazing scrapbook from shutterfly of their art work the way it was and a walk in closet.
If you took down some of the horse collection what would you put in those bookcases. Maybe some of that school work you cherish, framed. Maybe binders of the crafts you want to try? Scan, take digital pictures of the other stuff and organize it on your computer, so you have access to it.
It is a life long process and as hard as we try to stop things from coming in, it just does. But space is lovely and so much easier to take care of.
The things in your life should bring you joy not guilt.
Good luck!
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