Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore - January 8, 2022

Or should I say, “Diane, you’re not in Florida anymore.”

The thermometer read 15 degrees this morning after a snowstorm that raged all day yesterday. Well, at least the sun is out. Small consolation for my aching sinuses, dry, itchy skin and the general feeling I just got run over by a truck. It’s so dry my nose is bleeding and my nails are cracking. This is my body’s reaction to atmospheric changes or really, changes of any kind. I’m getting friendly again with my space heaters, arthritis gloves, microwaveable heat packs and warming blankets. Again, I ask myself, “Why do I live here??”

I’ve decided that since it is very difficult to get outside, I must try to embrace the indoor life for a while. Instead of walking on the beach (sigh), I am riding my recumbent bike while watching ocean scenes on my iPad. I now do my stretches to instrumental songs featuring the sounds of rolling waves. A far cry from the real thing, but hey, I do what I have to do.

I have declared my winter house project to be purging. I have always been a big fan of the purge, but something snapped in me when I arrived home. After living in a two-bedroom condo for months and not having a lot to take care of, suddenly my home felt cluttered. I wanted to toss everything as soon as I got back. Now I know this is the worst possible time to get rid of things, when I’m having an emotional reaction. So, I am slowly (well, as slow as someone like me can go) going through each closet, drawer and cabinet and asking myself the important question, “Do I really need this?” Sometime the answer doesn’t come fast. And I sit there contemplating whether I do really need it, or if I will be sorry I ditched it. Sheesh, I don’t need this stress! But all I can think about is, number one, do I want to be doing this in five years? And number two, remember how easy life was when I lived with a lot less at the beach. So, I press on.

As I said before, I have always liked purging and have done it many times over the years. What I still can’t figure out is why I have to keep doing it. Have you ever felt this way? Every time you donate bags of stuff, more keeps showing up. How does this happen? Sometimes I feel like the hamster on a wheel. I keep going and going but never quite get anywhere. I know that stuff has actually left the house but why doesn’t it look like that on the shelves or in the cabinets? This time I want to see empty space.

I tell myself I have all winter to do this cleaning out. The goal is to complete this task before we open the pool and the porch in May. Because I’m certainly not going to waste eighty-degree weather spending it in my basement, attic or closet. And speaking of the attic, there are still bins and trunks of my sons up there. On my ride home from the airport, a gentleman rider shared with me that one summer, he packed up all the belongings his kids left behind and drove to their homes in North Carolina and Maryland to drop them off. Why did I never think of this before? We may have to make extra room in the car on our next trip to Florida.

My friends who have tackled purging have always told me it is an overwhelming task, especially if you have been in your house for a long time. We are in this house over twenty-one years. It is definitely overwhelming. So, I turn to the organizing guru, Marie Kondo. She says,

Imagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn’t this the lifestyle you’re dreaming of?

Yes, Marie. Yes, it is. Somewhere deep down I want to be ready if I decide to stay in Florida longer or if I decide I want to move there someday. I want to be ready for the lifestyle I’m dreaming of.