Everyone touts that clean and tidy is better. Order in your home will make you happier. You can think clearer when you reduce your clutter. That all may be true for many, but I have found something very different for myself.

For the past 20 years I have been a very busy parent, working part time and giving everything I had to raising my children and holding a healthy family. There was definitely clutter in my house, but we cleaned and made piles and got rid of the unimportant items routinely. Friends and family would encourage me to sort the over flowing towel cupboard or reduce the clothes in my closet. But I resisted. They were not causing any problems and I had sentimental feelings towards many of those items and I might need them or want to give them to someone else who needs them and frankly I just didn’t want to give up any time with my kids to sort a closet. So I just carried on.

Our life and our closets were very full. The months and years passed and then my children started going away to college. I did a lot of hard work letting go of this wonderful family as it was, all under one roof every night.  I made room for the new form of this family that was taking shape around me. (That sounds sounds so easy, but was not. I have a whole book of pain, thoughts and experiences around the struggle of what was THAT letting go process.)

And now I am entering this new phase of my life and, surprisingly, I feel motivated to sort my closets! I didn’t plan it out at all. It just started happening one closet at a time. I didn’t even notice at first. It began when I just decided to sort one messy shelf in our linen closet as we were getting ready for a weekend away. This was the shelf with all of the soap, lotion and travel toiletries. My daughter was packing and when I opened it up to get my travel items, I decided to pull everything off that shelf and get it organized. It was the right act at the right time. Instead of a chore, doing it felt like a joy and a part of my journey into getting ready for my next phase in life.  Now it looks beautiful and makes me happy every time I open the door.

This weekend it was my shoe closet, motivated by wanting to give some of my old smaller shoes to my daughter as her feet are almost my size now.  I had not emptied or sorted this closet in over 15 years and it showed in every way imaginable.  But it was the perfect time with a great purpose.  I pulled at the pile and a river of shoes fell onto the floor.  It was a tribute to my life as a runner when I mounded 20 years worth of runners and took a photo.  It was science experiment when we examined what rubber and plastic do as they break down.  It was a mother-daughter bonding experience when we both tried on shoes to see what fit.  It was rewarding for me when my daughter found a couple of pairs that she liked and fit well enough to use.  It felt good to see the donation pile growing as I found shoes I didn’t need any longer.  It was the right act at the right time.

So I have one more cluttered closet decluttered.  It is one more step into my my new life.  And it happened in a meaningful way.  So I encourage you to listen to what matters most to you and if it is spending time doing something else, skip the closets for a few years.  They will still be there waiting for you.  And then when the right time comes along for you to declutter, enjoy the process, make it fun and notice what this time capsule behind the closed door has to offer you.