I’ve had a love/hate relationship with closets ever since I’ve had a walk-in closet in the master bath, two hall closets and 2 huge closets in spare bedrooms upstairs. (Do garages count as closets??)
It’s not that I hate closets - - no! I love them! They are the perfect place for all my treasures and clothes that I’ll never wear and a small quilt gifted by my aunt when I was a child. And that teddy bear I got from my brother when I was eight years old. And…you get the idea!
The hate part comes in every time I “clean” or “organize” one and I never end up with any extra room! I mean, if less is more…space in my closet…then why is my more always LESS?
Well, I do take it naturally! My Mom always said I was a pack rate…just like my Dad! That cute little yellow doll blanket in satin and flannel? It was going in the trash pile. But…um…uh..my dog found it and he looks so cute covered up in it. SAVED.
That college jacket with my name and Goldenhearts (Sigma Phi Epsilon little sisters) embroidered on it? Yep, still have it. Now, this is an item I didn’t know I still had. But I found it waaaay in the back of a closet. So, I did the “take a picture of it and let it go” thing. I had good intentions to remove the embroidery and donate the jacket. But, I also found a jacket of my husband’s from his 20s that had his name and a racing team’s name that he was a mechanic for. In my defense, I asked my husband what should I do with the jackets? He said “I’ll just take them upstairs.” SAVED. I should pause to mention that our upstairs has two bedrooms and a full bathroom …all with big closets. Three big closets up there! Of which none will probably get purged anytime soon.
Once in awhile I do get into a “purge” mood and have some luck in letting go. I usually wait until that bad mood goes away though. Speaking of upstairs, I was part of the Beanie Baby ™ craze. A couple of totes of the cutest ones are in mint condition with tags attached. $500 for one you say!? Hmmm…no…I’ll
keep it. Barbie dolls? Stuffed animals? 6 th grade artwork of a horse drawn in crayone? 1986 resume? Why do you even ask such silly questions?
There are times I follow the “rules” of organizing my closet but more often than not an item is just too sentimental for me to let some stranger have it. I’ve often begged my nieces to take some treasures. What do you mean you don’t want my antique dishes? Furniture? Jewelry? Sigh…
So, it’s apparent by now I am a pack rat. Sounds so much better that than nasty word “hoarder.” Seriously, I only have four dogs, not 35. No trash and old newspapers piled up. No filth in the kitchen sink. So there is a difference between the two! In my humble opinion.
For those of you who are stronger than I am in letting go and didn’t inherit the “pack rat gene”, here are some great tips for YOUR closet.
TO BE CONTINUED