Clutter – Can't live with it, can't live without it

It is not easy to avoid clutter. It doesn't take long to have piles. Big Guy and I fight piles. We tend to cover our tables and open surfaces with bits and pieces of our lives. One person's clutter may be another's treasure.

What exactly is clutter? Clutter can be anything from clothes you don't wear to papers you don't need, or even things you're keeping for sentimental reasons, but don't use. Essentially, clutter is anything that creates disorganization and a sense of being overwhelmed.

I can blame my clutter on my mother. I am my mother's child. She was a shopper and collector of things. She used to joke about a big closet off her bedroom full of clutter. She called it the "glacier." It just kept growing, and she dealt with it like a glacier. She respected it and did nothing to try and stop it from growing. No glaciers for me, but maybe a few large icebergs.

At our house, there is inside clutter and outside clutter. I am guilty of garden clutter. This woman has never thrown away a flowerpot. My garden is an intensive care ward. If a plant still bravely puts out a single green leaf, I keep it. My Charlie Brown plants are tucked around the garden. If they make it, they get to stay; if they don't, there is a short ceremony, and they are gone.

We even have clutter on our computers. I have a seemingly endless number of files, including documents and photographs. It is so easy to clean out clutter on your computer — just hit the delete button. Do I do it? No.

Then there is guy clutter. Guy clutter is often related to the sport of choice. Often golf. At one time, our garage housed enough golf clubs to equip a college golf team. Better not go there. Pointing out a partner's clutter can only exacerbate the problem, not resolve it, and ultimately lead to more clutter.

Several questions may ignite a clutter debate. They include:

Is there a plan for this?

Can I do something with this?

Do we really need this?

There are self-help gurus, television shows, and aisles in our local office supply stores filled with specially designed boxes to help us organize. More than once, I have filled my car with colorful plastic tubs, determined to organize. With passion and energy, I can bring a little order out of chaos. Now, my clutter is in storage boxes.

For those who cannot part with large amounts of clutter, there are pods and storage lockers. It allows you to get it out of the house and out of sight. It doesn't solve the problem. It moves the problem. Truth be known, the real value of those things stored is less than the monthly fees.

For those with a serious problem, there is Clutterers Anonymous, a fellowship for compulsive clutterers who practice a 12-step and 12-tradition program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. Members work to stop the urge to clutter, one day at a time.

So, self-knowledge helps. Recognizing a clutter problem can challenge us to make improvements. The old suggestion that if something comes in, then something needs to go out is probably a good one. Clutter — can’t live with it, can’t live without it!