Clues

My first clue was the general sense of uneasiness I felt when I went into the room. I just didn't like being in it; and although I try very hard to stay away from the "H" word ("hate"), in my head, I thought, "I hate this room."

My second clue was the way Josiah and David protested when it was their turn to be in this room for quiet time. Maybe that had to do with the fact that they could hardly find a clear spot on the floor to stretch out and do anything because of all the toys lying around.

My third clue was the fact that I haven't given Josiah a piano lesson in weeks, mostly because of the fact that the piano was in this room.

My fourth clue was the reluctance I felt about anyone seeing this room, even to the point of closing the door during potlucks or other times when we've had company over. We are open-door people, not closed-door, so having this room blocked off felt unnatural to me...but at the same time, I wasn't about to invite people into this room.

My fifth clue was this...

...well-defined handprints that someone artistically placed in the dust on top of my piano. That someone, by the way, is probably about five years old and has a name that starts with "D."

The handprints did me in. I decided that I absolutely, positively, most definitely had to clean the library this week, even if I had to abandon my summer project of reorganizing my kitchen, even if I wasn't caught up on the laundry, even if the mess in Tobin's room was multiplying at an alarming rate. No matter what, something had to be done in our library.

So I did something. Fortunately, with today being Wednesday, Jeff was off work and helped me tremendously by taking the boys and leaving the house for long stretches of time. As soon as he left this morning with the three older boys, I carted up from my dad's office one of the big green trash cans he has; and by evening, it was full. All the way to the brim. We had so much junk in that room--junk, junk, JUNK--that I was being driven batty by it. Clutter is hazardous to my health, and that room was a prime example of how destructive it is!

To be sure, I have a long way to go before that room becomes what I want it to be: a room which only contains things we need and/or love, a room in which the old adage "a place for everything, and everything in its place" is true, a room of order and simplicity and cleanliness.

But today was a start; and although I'm tired in body, I'm relieved in spirit. I know I won't have nearly as much time tomorrow to work in that room, but I hope I can carve out at least a little time to make some more progress in it. Decluttering and cleaning and organizing can be addicting! :)