The cleanse that I am referring to, is the cleanse of the clutter, not the liquid diet kind. I have never been successful with the liquid ones myself, but give me a room, closet or box of stuff and I am a pro.

I am a minimalist by nature. I have always been happy with a few things that I love, instead of the abundance of those just in case things. As in many aspects of life, I consider quality much more important than quantity. My friends are always amazed at how my small selection gets me through and especially how when traveling or going anywhere that I take one little bag. I could be out for an afternoon, a couple of days, or a 10 day oversees trip. It is always done in minimalist style and I always have everything that I need and then some. Besides having what I need, it cuts down on the unpacking and laundry on the return. That will be a topic for another post.

Back to the house cleanse …

I keep everything in my house organized and purge on a regular basis. I am always amazed at how much there is to get rid of, even when there isn’t much to start.

Over the recent break, I decided to tackle a closet and basement corner that had boxes and bins of old things in need of organizing. These areas have been bothering me for a long time. I guess for me, it was like the one junk drawer that is always in disarray, but brings comfort at the same time. I was motivated to finally conquer this area after having lunch with a friend, she was telling me that she went through her own things and finally got rid of everything that was not useful anymore. Even purging favorite items that in reality are never going to be worn again. Face it, it might still fit, but it doesn’t look the same at 35 as it does at 45. I don’t care how much you love it. I took this and went full force into my own cleanse. I spent several days going through things, rearranging and tossing. I filled up so many bags, it was liberating! I felt much lighter when garbage collection day came and everything was taken away.

I must say that I do this on a regular basis, and have never looked back or needed anything that I have parted with. Whether it was old papers, tokens of memorabilia, or clothes, I have never looked back and it feels great! I often wonder how the people with tons of excess manage to even start the cleansing process. I have the image of a cartoon character, head first in a giant dumpster with their feet up in the air.

For some reason, this time felt particularly satisfying. Maybe it is because I have been holding off on attacking these particular areas, or maybe because I am in a cleansing state of mind, as I try to clear my thoughts for my next stage. The cleanse is very helpful to reset your mind to your current needs, determine what’s important from the past and it sets you up to plan for the future. It is therapeutic for anyone to do, I highly recommend it!!!