fall cleaning

I know typically people wait for spring to do the big, whole house cleaning but I think fall is a good time too. Time to switch out the shorts for the sweaters. Also apparently time to go through decades worth of stuff in the attic and closets.

So far my mom and I have gone through two closets, half the attic and two dressers.

And can I tell you something? It feels really good to throw stuff out. I'm a really big packrat and have a hard time throwing stuff out. That purple and white striped funky shirt that I picked up at Goodwill and have never worn? But what if I need it someday for an 80's costume party?

I've been doing a pretty good job today. I even just threw out one of my favorite pairs of jeans. They don't fit me... not even close... so you would think it would be sort of easy to throw them out. But what if I get down to a size six again- I would totally want these! I battled in my head for about a minute and finally decided to give them away. Like all the clothes that I give away I checked the pockets first... and found five bucks! I decided it was Fate's way of rewarding me for making the right decision!

This cleaning binge feels different than a regular one. I don't feel like I am just dusting and mopping and sorting. I feel like I am cutting some of the ties that were holding me back and creating room in my life for new, better stuff to come in.