Tag: dailyprompt-1819

I made a list…

Wiwohka3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
View all responses

If one wants to answer this prompt adequately, we must first come to a clear understanding of what we consider clutter.

Essentially, the word clutter refers to a bunch of things laying about in a mess. That means that it’s going to look different, depending on whose looking, and in my opinion, isn’t limited to one or two categories.

Since the word clutter is classed as a noun, it has the potential to represent anything from a person, a place, OR a thing! Bearing this in mind, I considered what my tidying up checklist might look like…

Clutter Clean-up Checklist!

  • Too many people cluttering my doorway… nope… Check!
  • An overfilled laundry room, with no available working machines… nope… Check!
  • A library of unread books… nope… check!
  • A closet full of unused dirty clothes… nope… check!
  • Cupboards full of old, unused household items, outdated cleaning supplies, and moldy hamburger buns from behind the cabinet… nope… check!
  • Expired food in the back of the refrigerator… nope… check!
  • Shelves filled with trinkets, toys, bits and bobs from over the years… nope… check!

    The only clutter I’m really dealing with is that of the mind. Stacks of broken dreams, and painful memories, lay strewn along the roadside of the mind. That’s where the real clutter is for most, and it’s far more destructive that a pile of dirty old boots, or an overflowing Tupperware drawer in ones kitchen.

     Whether one is referring to physical clutter, or that of the mind, I think that the bible speaks of both…

    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

    Oddly enough, sometimes Google’s AI does a fairly decent job of explaining a thing, and today was one of those times…

    “Store up treasures in heaven” means to focus on eternal, spiritual values rather than temporary earthly wealth, investing your life, resources, and heart in acts of generosity, faith, and love that have lasting significance, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21. It involves shifting your priorities from material accumulation to spiritual riches, knowing that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.  

    I’ll leave you with that. Well, that and cookies…

    I’m Gonna Wash it Right Outta My Hair…

    Wiwohka9 Comments

    Extra shampoo bottles… not new… just extra!

    Bloganuary writing prompt
    Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
    View all responses

    Let’s all be honest here, we’ve all done it at one time or another… you know… held on to that one bottle of shampoo holding half a tablespoon of liquid gold! I made it sound oh so valuable, thereby, softening the blow for everyone… as we know in truth, it wasn’t even that expensive of a shampoo.

    I need you all to be on board with this, for me, because I don’t have too much of anything else that can be called clutter. Seriously… I don’t use make-up anymore, or any lotions or perfumes like I wore in the past. RV living, even in the best of circumstances, is not for the faint of heart! RV living should be renamed RV LIMITTED! Nothing has the freedom to be left just laying around… it’s either usable or losable! One has to choose on a daily basis, what is of value and necessary… and what has become dead weight! Space around here is limited and comes at a premium cost, so when I say use it or lose it, I really mean it!

    I am certainly not wasteful, nor will I give up on a garment just because it is old or stained… some of my best hoodies have holes where my thumbs have worked their way through the seams, and are covered in coffee stains. If I am afforded the opportunity to get a new article of clothing, something has to go, to make space for the new item. With all of this in mind, consider how utterly ridiculous it is that I hoard extra bottles of shampoo, as if they were going to be the ultimate answer for world peace! Why don’t I just condense them all into one individual bottle, you may be asking yourselves? The only answer I can give, is that I’ve no earthly idea!

    As I was writing my answer to the prompt, I had a question run through my brain asking, don’t I sometimes clutter my spirit with old bottles of memories and past hurts, just like I do with the extra shampoo bottles? Some bottles of shampoo, like a memory, have a specific fragrance that perhaps I don’t ever want to forget. Whether the memory was good or bad, I hesitate to put them all in the same bottle. Even if I could separate them into two different bottles… one for the good and one for the bad… have you ever caught a whiff of someone’s perfume that was so overpowering, it made you gag? 

    Not all shampoos are alike, so it’s not always a good idea to mix the one for dry scalp with another kind that helps with oily skin. What if I get rid of that last bit of shampoo for dry scalp, even though my scalp doesn’t need help right now? Which memories that were bad, will be useful for good now… and visa versa?

    I didn’t say that I was going to answer these questions… I just said that this is what ran through my head while I was typing! I will be busy for the next week repeatedly bringing this topic up in my Overthinkers Anonymous Group, as I’m not even sure how to answer my own questions…

    Here, have a cookie…