In February I sent out a tip about “Doing a Joanna” - which can also be called the scoop method. It’s what works best for me.
Anyway — I received back an email and poem which I have been planning to post here for weeks. But I haven’t been able to figure out how as it came to me in PDF format.

Finally - at 6:15p.m. March 29 my husband Bob gets “Super Geek” status - in my eyes for sure! He showed me (oh so simple- to him) how to copy and paste a PDF! Yahooo! If you like beautiful furniture take a look at what Bob really loves to do by going to www.rueterwoodworking.com .
Here with her go ahead are Connie’s email and poem:
“After I read your message, I decided to send you a poem I wrote after decluttering an important space. I had already decluttered it when I got your message, but it was just what your message described and it was recent. This is a small space, about two forearms long and one forearm wide.

Writing Table

For years I’ve loved the hodgepodge
of rooftops, chimneys and windows
I see from here
a jumble of planes and angles.
No one could have planned it.
For years I haven’t sat here
to write. Two babies at once
is a lot, but the truth is,
I let myself diminish:
I had nothing to say.
Once upon a time my table
looked out on raspberry brakes;
there was a neighboring mule.
I dwindled to zero there.
If, God forbid, I live to a hundred,
will I learn? We get the same lessons
over and over until we see
yet not the self-same.
(We’re going in, Scotty.)
I’m heading for the language
behind the language:
table brake self-same
The winter’s first big snow, unstinting
(although our green blob map online
does show an end in sight),
is late this year,
filtering colors out of the view
from my writing table,
which is still divine.
© Connie Vial Green
February 2007

Adam Kayce just sent out a fine article called : Why Boldness Counts
Below are the first lines -go read the article and come back and talk with me…. ok?
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
– Henry David Thoreau

We’ve all been there. Times when we’ve found ourselves squeaking along, trying to just get by and not ruffle any feathers, or have our own feathers ruffled….

(and the article continues- it is SO on the target with the blog I wrote this morning !

Hey folks– let’s get out of the box / and clear out the boxes that don’t fit our lives anymore - eh???

I’ve come to an odd place.

A year ago, I began studying with Mark Silver about marketing with heart! What a fantastic experience! I learned SO MUCH from Mark and my classmates; over the months my new website and this blog were created …

In 1982, having worked as a Day Care teacher and Director for 6 years, I went back to college to get my degree in Early Childhood Education. I got my degree and worked a few more years in education but the classes I found MOST compelling were in Women’s Studies.

It used to be that a thesis was written by scholars at the END of their careers! After they had learned tons they then wrote down what they had learned for others. Hmmmmmm interesting.

In my work with Breathing Space clients I so often hear myself saying that declutttering is about REALITY… about REALLY looking at what is going on in one’s life …what is is that you REALLY want to be doing…where do you really want to put your energy? At that point you can begin to make space for your life as it really is. The STUFF in your life CAN reflect and support you.
So why talk about this now?

Well, I am beginning to see that I have come to another crossroads. Having learned from Mark what is needed to do an excellent job of making Breathing Space available to folks, I realize that although I want to be able to continue to help people who contact me … I also want to discover what comes NEXT. I am ready to collect all my Spanish books and put them on the the shelf nearest my desk; I’m ready to see what happens if I allow myself to do everything in my power to learn Spanish.

What will happen? I don’t know.

I continue to love the actual hands-on work and doing virtual consultations. If you read this and want to have a space that feeds your soul … call me. AND … once again I am going to go out on a limb. That’s what I did in 1996 when I began Breathing Space. I had always wanted to help people with their spaces. Going from a REAL paid job as a therapist to starting a new business - what foolishness. But how wonderful it has been…

And starting today- I am going to discover what comes next. Does it make your heart sing??? Does it GIVE you energy? What if you knew you only had a year to live? All those questions demand a level of daring - faith- courage - chutzpah too…

What IF you and I take that leap? Hope you’ll let me know!
p.s. I suggest ,if you have any tendrils of ” WHAT IF”, that you take a look at www.thedisquiet.com by Dave Schoof. Although I haven’t read much of his website yet I know that he is working with folks (men in particular) on WHAT IF issues …

I really do want to talk about clutter and space …and shall. I’ve just finished a write up of the largest space I’ve worked on yet - the process was very familiar- just bigger! I was asked to go through our church and make note of ALL the nooks and crannies/ closets and hallways and compile a sort of inventory of the varieties of stuff that have collected over the years. We are going to have a “Mission Organize” day on March 17th and this is preparation for that.

But before I stop talking about the world I want to share this follow up from Avaaz.org, the group I wrote about last posting. This is what they are saying now:

“…George Bush is asking the US Congress for funds to ESCALATE his war. On 17 February Congress will sit in judgment: it’s the first concrete chance for a change of course. Congress can demand a real plan to end this conflict, they have the power. Opposition is rising in the USA and round the world. 45000 of us published our ad in a Capitol Hill paper. 90,000 of us from 198 countries joined a virtual Global Peace March: hundreds of thousands of US citizens marched for peace, we carried flags from dozens of countries and banners saying citizens around the world marched with them.”
You can still sign the petition. They have 92,168 signatures from 198 countries and are hoping to have 100,000 before Feb 17th.

Go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php to add your voice.

Hello ~ I haven’t written here in a while. Part of me has been focussed more on war and peace than on STUFF.

I won’t go so far as to send this as an email to the folks who have signed up for Breathing Space Tips. I have only sent it to friends and family members who I KNOW are concerned about our actions in Iraq.

But since this blog is paid for by me - and my company is only me, I am going to post here the notice that I received about the “virtual” peace march which is taking place alongside the live one in DC this Saturday.

There are two actions you can take that I want to tell you about:

ONE: Join Saturday’s Global Peace March From Your Home

This Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will march on Washington DC to demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East. We can be there too, raising a global voice of solidarity — through our own worldwide virtual march. Time is short, so add your voice and join the march today!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php

Avaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and placards at the US demonstration - showing how many internet marchers from all round the world are joining in. We will carry the flag of each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers, so tell your friends!

With American opposition to this war mounting, 45,000 of us from over 100 countries have already joined the call to oppose Bush’s military escalation and demand a real plan to end this war.

Can we get 75,000 - even 100,000 people from round the world to join the march before Saturday? Click here to join the march:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php

Join the global peace march and tell your friends today!
With hope,
Ricken, Paul, Tom, Rachel, Galit, Lee-Sean and the rest of the Ceasefire Campaign (now Avaaz.org! ) Team

PS - In an online poll last year, nearly a thousand of you helped choose a compelling new name for our global campaigning effort - www.Avaaz.org. Avaaz means “voice” or “song” in many Asian languages. The new site is up, so check it out!
________

TWO: Read the article linked below by George McGovern which gives a carefully thought out plan for leaving Iraq and then talk to others about it! It takes a bit of effort to read it but it’s worth it!

http://www.harpers.org/TheWayOutOfWar.html

Wishing you more peace — in your space and in our world. Aren’t they in reality connected - no matter what???  Joanna

I found this article particularly helpful in regards to my own weaknesses/difficulties and wanted to share it with you. It definitely applies to difficulties with space and clutter. As Lynn says, self-judgment just adds to the difficulty. Visit www.lynnjericho.com for more of her perspective.

HUMILITY by Lynn Jericho

Humility is tonight’s contemplation.

Tonight’s quality is often misunderstood. It is humility.

Each of us is made up of a myriad of strengths and weaknesses. Each strength and each weakness creates a self-perception and a self-judgment. And these perceptions and judgments tend to distort our sense of our self-worth and self-esteem. Our thinking, feeling and willing get entangled with our strengths and weaknesses. Often our soul life ends up in a mess. Humility is the quality that begins to clear the mess.

We create the mess to hide the weaknesses. Humility allows us to honor our weaknesses. Through humility, we can be generous to ourselves and shine a good light into the dark corners of our individual humanity. We see the totality of our being and see ourselves as a whole far greater than the sum of our parts.

Humility allows us to stand strong in our own earthly (humus) being. It teaches us about our particular temperamental constitution. (The Greeks referred to the temperaments as the four humours).

Humility leads us to the core of our humanity. Sadly, so many of us think humility leads us to hate our humanity. It is only the lack of humility that makes us vulnerable to humiliation.

When something is planted in rich humus, it grows! The gift of humility is the capacity to strive towards our ideals. Our so-called weaknesses contain the greatest potential for self-esteem and inner growth.

Can you lovingly and with blessed humility make a list of your “weaknesses?” What What aspects of you are hidden with shame, guilt or neglect? Where in your complexity are you “less than?” Can you write down ten weaknesses?

Counting tonight, we have ten Holy Nights remaining. If each night in the”good light” of your own self-compassion, you innocently “wonder at” one weakness from your list you will begin to see new directions and possibilities open up. Humility is the way to both self-acceptance and self-development.

Have a meditative conversation with your weakness. Ask it questions. What are you teaching me? Why are you here? What would happen to you if I embraced your presence in my life?

Looking at decluttering from another perspective.

The other day I was consulting in a beautiful old home. The room
that is used as an office for volunteer work was jam packed with stuff
from the past including a bureau filled with a grown up daughter’s
childhood items. The daughter has not lived in this home for 20 years.
I had been called in to help make that room manageable.

I found myself thinking in a sort of odd way about STUFF and it’s power to rule. So often the stuff of the past control a household despite the reality of the current needs It seems to me that at this point STUFF is in charge- perhaps even the dictator. I am not immune to this phenomenon.

So who’s in charge??? The other night for me it was the Wheat Thins.

I wasn’t the least bit hungry, had just come in from a wonderful movie “AKEELA and the Bee”, and was full of a sense of I CAN! I was focused on my goal of getting strong and healthy as I nearly skipped home from the movie.

When Bob and I decided to hang out on the sofa to read for a while, he brought along a box of Wheat Thins. I thought to myself, I’m not hungry, I won’t have any. I heard him munching but I was going to keep my promise to my future self.

It was my turn to read. Then it was Bob’s and suddenly I was munching away.
YOIKS! …when I think about it, those little crackers were now in charge.
They were telling me what action to take. I bet they felt quite victorious.

And how does this work with STUFF?

Well it’s not exactly the same but I think there is more similarity than one expects. Let’s go back to the room in discussion. Here’s a bureau with drawers that open and close nicely, filled with stuff from 20 years ago. No one uses the items in those drawers but they sit there very contentedly using space that could well be used for current supplies.
They are in charge so to speak.
Now-I’m not questioning keeping the stuff. For sure the daughter should be given the opportunity to have her say BUT- my client needs space for the work she does every day. She is dealing with all kinds of materials that need a place. I imagine the stuff saying, “Hah- I am here no matter what you need! I don’t really care about what you are trying to do. This is MY space! I’ve been here for a long time.”

Imagine your entire house. How much does the stuff in it have the final word?

Yes- truly, decluttering is about becoming the boss - about granting your work and your current priorities due importance. As in, “Hey- I believe in the work I am doing and it makes sense for me to be efficient. I have lots going on, so hey, I deserve this space. I will put this old stuff in a safe storage container. We will figure out what should happen with it soon but for now- my current work will have a good space!”

Try it out. Think about who’s in charge - you or the stuff, and see what happens.

For an excellent article on the command of stuff and it’s meaning in people’s lives see

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/conquer_clutter.html

From AARP Magazine Jan-Feb 2007.

Well- what can I say. It’s aready November 12 at 10 pm and this weekend I’ve been nibbling away on my extra piece of humble pie.

What is that about?

Well- quite possibly you are a visitor here because decluttering and getting organized are challenges for you. You may also be here because you find moving around the internet and its many forms as easy as turning on the light and you decided to follow some link to learn something that will make your clutter problems just a bit less difficult.
When I respond to decluttering questions I feel at ease and contented. I like sharing what I know about making spaces and I get a sense of having been helpful and oh yes- a bit wise. I am pleased to explain whatever I can to readers and clients. I can be gentle and patient - discussing this and that about making a space - happy with the information I am making available.

BUT when I am on the other end of the learning game - does that feel different!

Here’s the scoop. Last month I finished my new website and also had this BLOG created for me. Then I got swamped doing a million other things and also went to visit my father who is 88 1/2 and moving from the Vienna flat that has been his home for 40 years. So for several weeks I haven’t touched my website and yesterday when I looked at it and decided to edit a little I discovered that I couldn’t remember how to do the editing!

Humble Pie R-ME! NOT KNOWING how to do something is NOT FUN …in my books! How could I NOT know how to do that simple thing. SO THIS is what it feels like when something so basic is mind boggling. THIS is what my clients probably feel like when decluttering is so difficult for them.
This weekend I was reading about blogging and all the ways it can be used and here I am with a blog that is supposed to get lots of “traffic” and I’m supposed to be able to write articles that get links on other websites - and folks are supposed to be able to come to this blog to chat about their organizing troubles and get good advice and plenty of good old TLC .. and what is happening??? I duuno. Not much. A fellow classmate posted one post and I never wrote back! There’s so much I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine I will ever feel capable in this arena.

HOW CAN I SAY THIS ON A (PUBLIC)BLOG?
In the old school of life, I probably wouldn’t tell you any of this …but if I can’t admit to being challenged how can I expect clients to? So here’s the scoop … I KNOW what it feels like to NOT know how to do something with ease while others all around me seem to it so speedily. YUCKY— like a big piece of humble pie!

Thus I hereby promise that more than ever I will respect the degree of struggle and despair you may feel about your space. If you happen to read this –please remember that whatever you do well- there’s someone else who would do anything to have that skill. And whatever you don’t do well … it gives you a helpful reminder of how someone else may feel when struggling to accomplish a task that is totally easy to you.

And now it’s getting late -to be quite honest- I don’t know how to close this and then add more later … I am hoping that when I close this it will actually stay available to you. If I could I would save now and work on it more tomorrow but I don’t know how to store it safely so I’ve been pushing past eye drooping fatigue.

Can YOU tell me how to SAVE so it will be here tomorrow? Do you have a question about decluttering and organizing that you’d like to ask me? Rest assured! - I’ve had a very healthy portion of humble pie and can appreciate any you might be swallowing.

Good night dear folks out there in cyberspace… may your next hours go well …and do WRITE something/ANYTHING if you find this.. If you have hints or questions — all the better. I imagine this as a place to chat.

Buenas noches! Joanna

p.s. Just found an edit button AFTER I posted this so I’ve been back to edit (YAY) and really am saying good night. Hope you’ll visit my website if you haven’t … and DO drop me a line about your own assortment of victories and challenges.

Before Jack Canfield, before Wayne Dyer - back in the days of Andrew Carnegie, there was Napoleon Hill.

Well - what he says is FOCUSED intention… and what I realize is there’s probably no way of avoiding discipline if one wants to do what does NOT come naturally!

I DO want to get daily exercise because there’s tons more that I want to accomplish in my life and I would rather do it healthy. I also meditated (a bit) today and next I am going to study some Spanish before class.

I guess what I have decided is that as lovely as it is to do what one does easily - there are probably some things that are going to take discipline and work. For some people it will take discipline to keep the counter clear - for me it will take discipline to exercise every day.

So there it is … back to the drawing board - make a plan - get support. Appreciate that some things come easily and work on the rest! So be it - Joanna

This in NOT a rhetorical question for me! I would love to hear your thoughts. I’ve been thinking about all the actions that don’t come easily to me and what a hard time I have with maintaining a routine. Surprise?!

Many people have the idea that “being organized” is about self discipline. It probably is for some people. And as I’m sure you well know, there’s all kinds of SHOULDS attached to the subject. But here’s the thing, for me(sigh) keeping a space clear and attractive is not a discipline, it’s more like scratching an itch.
For example,

The butcher block in our kitchen is where the mail lands when it comes in our house. Either Bob or I bring it in and 90% of the time separate out what’s his and what’s mine right away. Next, unless I have to be somewhere in minutes (right while I’m standing there) I sort through my mail/ tear the credit card offers in two for safety and put all the mail I don’t truly need or want into recycling. The recycling bin is just around the corner in the pantry. What’s left goes into the BILLS TO PAY or in a small reading pile by my placemat.

I am SO visual. My eyes sort of caress the table (It’s actually a child’s leaf desk that my Dad made with a kit from SEARS in 1953!) When I walk by the table I see the placemats, the fresh flowers and I almost physically CRAVE having the butcher block and table clear of any extra stuff. It’s that way with most of my spaces - most of the time.
However, to be very honest, there’s NOTHING about discipline in my ability to process the mail. It’s more like dealing with a pebble in my shoe. Thus, I don’t deserve any particular kudos for my ability to keep my counter and table clear!
HOW ABOUT YOU???

What do you do well naturally? What is that like for you?
Given that you are reading this blog, it’s seems likely that clutter and staying organized is a challenge for you. Luckily (since I have chosen this as my work) I can help figure out solutions that people seeem to be able to latch onto and use and their spaces stay more organized… BUT I am still pondering this discipline vs what comes naturally issue.

Here are three of my current challenges:

1)Regular daily exercise

2)Regular meditation

3)Doing my Spanish homework.
All three of these are things I believe in; I want the benefits that come from doing them. AND!!! doing them as a regular practice is SO MUCH HARDER than keeping my kitchen counter clear!

So let’s chat about about how to do the things that don’t come naturally. With luck I have at least another 1/3 of my life to work on this. Please share what has worked (and not worked) for you!

Blessings, Joanna