Friday, November 13, 2015

November Challenge: Day 13

Today I am thankful for an extra day. Yesterday was my mom's surgery, but I took off today too because I wasn't sure how she would be doing and how much help she would actually need. She is doing really well and hasn't needed much help, which has allowed me to get a lot of things done today. Last night I slept well, which gave me the energy to wake up and get things done. I was able to  pick up a few groceries before anyone was awake and put everything away without "help". Since my mom was doing well, I decided to work on some home projects of my own. These were organization projects I have wanted to get done, but just haven't had the time or the energy to really finish them. There is still a lot that has to be done, but I finished quite a bit and feel these projects are much more manageable now. 

One of the projects I tackled was cleaning out my dresser in my closet. I emptied out all of the contents and reorganized everything. I shuffled around the contents of my Sterilite storage and I believe I am utilizing them better now. I didn't have room in my closet, largely because the dresser is in my closet, and was having to hang clothing on a shelf in my room, but after cleaning today I was able to transfer the clothing into my closet. This is a blessing because my clothing is more accessible and moving the clothing frees up space that can be used to decorate my room for Christmas. Cleaning  and organizing my closet today showed me just how blessed I am. A lot of people don't have the quantity of clothing I have and are grateful for the few articles they do have. I wasn't able to fully appreciate everything I had because honestly I didn't really even know what I had. This prompted me to donate some of my clothes, clothes I had once adored, and free my clothes to be a blessing to someone else. 

So much stuff!?! That seems to be the theme of the day. I don't think I fully realized how much stuff I had in certain categories until I addressed those organizational projects I had been putting off. One item I have a lot of is lotion and a collection of misc beauty products. Most of these items come from gifts I received or free products that were given to me from places like Bath and Body Works and Sephora. There is a sense of obligation to keep these items, after all they are quality products that I can use, but these items quickly monopolize my space. This is still an area I need to address, but today I spent time purging these items. I kept the items I liked or wanted to try and threw out the items I didn't like or would never use. Previously I had wanted to donate these items, but I have noticed a lot of organizations don't want these type of items because they could be contaminated and prefer items that are still sealed from a store. I have found that the free travel sized lotions I receive from Bath and Body Works are great for quick, last minute gifts because they give the recipient the opportunity to try the scent without being stuck with a large bottle. These items can also be included in care packages for the homeless. 

Possessions have a way of taking over our space and our lives. Yes, we are blessed to have the possessions we have, but we should share these possessions with others. In the future I will be purging more items and have plans to donate a lot more. I have a few ideas about how to use my stuff to help specific organizations and groups of people, which I will post when I am able to execute these ideas. Until then, I wholeheartedly encourage donating your unwanted items as your donations can be given away to individuals in need or sold at thrift stores to generate revenue to be used for charities. 

I am thankful for a free day and the opportunity to accomplish household organizational projects. I am grateful for the possessions I have and for the possessions I am able to donate to help others. What are you thankful for today?

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