Tidy house, tidy mind?

This is a collaboration.

This ol’ house!
Ain’t got time to fix the shingles
Ain’t got time to fix the floor…

I jest, this house isn’t that old and it certainly isn’t decrepit.

It does, however, need burning down and starting again.

When we moved in, it was gloriously spacious and bright compared to our last house.
Perfect for the one, 18 month old we had and very small amount of ‘things’ we owned.
It was huge, we had so much space!
We knew things would need doing over time, but at that moment it was perfect for us.

Now, eight years later, the house has two children, all the crap that children acquire and those things we vowed we would do over time have still not been done.

Rather, we have just filled our space with ‘stuff’ and worst still, stuff we don’t even need or use.
We’re about two steps removed from being ‘hoarders’ I’m sure.

I envy those other parents who tell me they have no kids toys downstairs as they keep it all in their room – those parents who can send their kids to bed on an evening and relax without being stared at by 50 pairs of teddy eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a stark white walled, cold, sterile looking house but I would love to sit of an evening with a glass of wine and not see a bunch of toys and teddies wherever I look.
I can only imagine how lovely it must be to take a picture and NOT have a pile of crap in the background.

It first struck me how much ‘stuff’ we actually had when we thought about getting the downstairs laminate replaced with carpet.
I’d heard great things about this company who would do it for a perfectly reasonable price.
I started working it all out in my head – the living room and dining room merge so it would be easy.
They would come with a big roll of carpet, roll it out, give it shake et voila!

Job’s a good’un.

Except, as I looked around I realised there was a LOT of stuff actually ON the floor.
Where the carpet needed to go.
How to they get around that?
Would they just carpet round my belongings in the same way I paint around the fridge freezer?

It took me hours to empty the bookcase when I decorated last and all the stuff went on the couch.
I can’t imagine a carpet fitter would want to faff with that, besides, where would they put it all?

The thing is, I’m not sure how and when this all happened.
I used to like life neat and tidy.
A little compartmentalised.
I passed on or threw away things I didn’t need or use.
I wouldn’t have dreamt of keeping stuff that had no actual use to me. I’d rather sell my old iPad for cash than have it lying around.

Now, we have an analogue, handheld TV in the kitchen drawer, clothes that will never fit again and a drawer of leads that we keep ‘just in case’
Needless to say I sit here now with my cold laminate floor, surrounded by stuff and an even larger list of things that need doing in this house that I can’t face doing because of the ‘stuff’ that needs sorting in order to complete the list.

We need someone to come and teach us how to declutter or to just hire a skip and get ruthless. As arty as I consider myself to be, I am by no stretch of the imagination an ‘upcycyler’ – once I start sorting out this junk I need it gone! Luckily, even in these times of lockdown, there are nationwide rubbish removal firms who will take my junk away whilst remaining socially distant!
I know some people believe things and stuff are memories but how long before our memories reach the ceiling, fall over, crush us to death and we’re found months later partly eaten by the cats?

I envisage myself going out in a more glamorous way if I’m honest!

PS If I have anything you might need just shout, it’s yours!