There are two pictures of my linen closet on my phone. In the first one, the towels are stuffed in so tight that one shelf bows in the middle. In the second one, there are six bath towels, folded, with room on both sides.
About four years sit between those two pictures. I looked at them side by side last week, and it made me think about everything else that happened in that time.
Some things changed more than I ever expected. Some things didn’t change at all. And a few things filled right back up, no matter what I did.
So this is my honest look back, at 64. If you’re just starting, or if you’ve stalled somewhere in the middle, I hope it helps to see the whole picture.
Where I Started
My first try didn’t really count. Years ago, I set out one Saturday morning to clear the spare room, because it was the worst room in the house.
The first box held my kids’ old school papers. I spent the whole morning reading spelling tests, cried a little and cleared nothing. Then I didn’t try again for a long time.
About four years ago this fall, I tried again. This time I started with the cabinet under the bathroom sink, and I was done in twenty minutes.