Learning Good Enough

Well, given that I couldn't drag myself out of bed until 11 this morning, I was skeptical about how well the day would go.  By the time we had brunch and got moving, it was 1pm.  Looking at the back room, my heart sort of sank.  Michael started with his clothes, which were EVERYWHERE.  I got out the electric drill and took out the bottom shelf in the closet, so he could have someplace to hang his clothes once he went through them.  He organized all of his fishing stuff, and his computer stuff, and some leftover memory stuff from high school and college. Then he disappeared, but he hung in there for a while, given this whole thing wasn't really his idea. Or his idea of how to spend a Saturday.  Two hours in, I thought I was nearly done, and I was really feeling like "how dumb was it to put this off for weeks and weeks when it only took two hours to fix?!"  But then Alexis called, and we started chatting and we were both cleaning and I decided to REALLY de-clutter the "hidden" messes in the drawers, bins, and cabinets.  And it did take a while.  At 6, I came and asked Michael to help me finish, and we wrapped up by around 6:30.  So five and a half hours.  But it's done.  I just need to vacuum (but there's a baby sleeping downstairs, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow) and finish taking out the trash and donations.  Tomorrow...I'll organize the taxes, and either attack the car or the storage closet at the end of the hall.  It's the last day of the war on clutter, and I have to say...I'm feeling pretty good about where things are, and pretty good that the month is over!  There are a few things left to de-clutter...all the "memory" stuff...and the basement...but those are things that I can pick a day over the summer and do them.  It'll be good practice not feeling like every single thing has to be done perfectly in order to move on.  Sometimes you just need to say "Good enough" and move on.

Here's the before and afters...I'm hoping they're small enough that you can't see how completely, embarrassingly awful it was in the "before" shots...