Trashflower

Messes don’t just happen in the kitchen. They can happen in the garage, in the living room, in your heart, and in your mind.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the last few weeks cleaning up messes that others have left behind (mostly of the physical kind), but it’s given me a lot of opportunity to think about the psychological messes that most of us sweep under the rug. I’ve also spent some time watching Hoarders (from A&E). It’s a powerful show about people who allow the compulsion to save items to control them.

I can’t say for sure if watching other people or cleaning up other people’s messes is really what did it for me, but I’m turning over a bit of a new leaf. (For those of you who know about my other “hobby”, you’ll be happy to hear about my New Leaf.) I want to be less about possessions, and more about exploration and fun, and experience. Artwork is all the more powerful when you create it. Evenings are more beautiful when you spend them with someone you love, even if that’s your dog, rather than shuffling your “stuff” from place to place.

I don’t expect to give up all of my consumerism, or live like a nun. I still expect to love shopping, but more for the browsing and imagination than the actual acquisition. I probably won’t make the bed eery day, but I’ll strive to make it on weekends. There’s no need to allow our things to take possession of us, when just a few minutes a day can help keep us possessing them.