Spring cleaning is in the air, and I have the measuring stick to prove it. More and more people are coming up to me and telling me that they are sick of all the clutter in their homes and are ready for action.
As I was leaving a coffee shop last week, someone came up to me and proudly told me how many car loads of stuff she donated. She also didn't stop with her own stuff but went through her sister's stuff as well. She asked her sister one simple question over and over again-"Do you love it enough to dust it?"
Our home is filled with these so-called tchotchkes, knickknacks and trinkets. Some were gifts, and some were souvenirs we bought on vacation. Some may have been from a time when we collected certain objects, such as that "I love clowns" phase of the 1970s.
You are past the phase, but some people are not aware, and you are still receiving clown-related items as gifts.
When the time to dust comes around, we are mindless in the exercise. We pick it up and dust it without questioning our love of the object.
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Not everyone is ready to attack their homes with a ruthless, minimalist attitude. Many are stuck in procrastination. Many are stuck in perfectionism. But what we all have in common is that we need that little push to get us started.
So this week, the push is walking around your house asking, "Do I love it enough to dust it?"
The living room, family room and bedrooms seem to attract the most clutter. These are the places where dusting is king.
Walk around picking up each object and ask if you love it enough to dust it. Have a box with you as you walk around. The key is to pick up each object and handle it. Roll it around in your hand. Look at it closely.
Does it spark joy? If not, place it in the box. Don't forget plants, both living and fake. I can't tell you how many dusty plants I have seen. These too need to be dusted. Do you love them enough to dust them? If not, find a better home for them.
What about the furniture? Do you move your furniture away from the wall and vacuum up the dust underneath it? That heavy, oak grandfather clock that hasn't worked since 1962-If you don't love it enough to dust it, it is OK to get rid of it.
Oh, and that piano that nobody plays? Yes, you can get rid of it. I thought for a minute about my future grandchildren coming to visit me and play the piano for me. I thought for two minutes about my family gathered around the piano singing Christmas carols. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen in this lifetime.
It was easy to get rid of it once I put myself back into reality. Give yourself 30 minutes this week to start the process of asking the question. You may surprise yourself and soon have a carload ready to donate.
