Tuesday, September 13, 2011

My life as a junk drawer

My kitchen junk drawer, tagged (like lots of things in my home) by Tallulah.
posted by Melissa
I was just thinking that sometimes my life feels like a junk drawer.  And not my friend Kate's junk drawer, hers is all neat and orderly.  I bet Amy's are too.  No, more like my junk drawers, everything just thrown in until it can barely shut.  And then I go start another one.  I think I am out of drawers.

Once in a while, I tackle them and clear it all out.  It's reaching that time.  I think it may even have been on my list of what I wanted to accomplish this month.  If it wasn't on there, it should have been.

And perhaps I need to do that with my life as well.  Clear it out, keep what is useful, toss what isn't.  Behaviors, thought patterns, habits, people?  I wonder if that is what all this unsettled feeling is that I have been carrying around the past couple days.  Just enough discomfort from there not being any more room to "shut the drawer".  If I can't shut the drawer, then there it is.  And I can't just keep walking by it, or walking through my life pretending it isn't there.

All that junk.

So, today I will clear out one of my junk drawers.  Maybe tomorrow I will do another.  I want to be accountable, so I am putting it out there.  Expect an update with photo tomorrow.

And as far as my life, well, that may take longer than one day to sort out.  It's not that heavy, I hope you all aren't thinking something major is going on at the Baumgarts.  Just time to slow down, isn't that what this month is all about, in a way?  If I clear out what isn't useful, maybe I'll feel more capable of slowing down.

Oh, and I plan on making either fresh pasta with my new pasta maker (Thanks, Jamie!) or potato corn chowder with my new food mill (Thanks, Amy!).  Because, even if the junk drawers of your life need a cleanin', you still gotta eat.

Wish me luck,
Meissa


7 comments:

Judy said...

I have a Junk Drawer "System"! It consists of 3 drawers. I put things in the first one until I can just barely cram it shut, then I move onto the next and the next. By the time the 3rd drawer is near bursting (which usually takes several years), I go through drawer #1. By that time, I can barely remember what most of the crap in there was for anyway that it's easy to toss most of it. Then I start over!

Melissa said...

Judy, I love it! Thanks for sharing!

laurac said...

Melissa, that's such a good metaphor. I'm mad at you for using it first!!!!! Just jokin. Hope you're well.
xo
Bloggy

Melissa said...

Thanks, Laura! But what I want to know is what your junk drawer looks like???? I have my guess. ;)
Hope you are well too!

Melissa Baumgart said...

I hear ya sister. While you're at it clean the rest of our apartment! :) Just kidding...sorta...

Jamie

Anonymous said...

i would love to share a picture melissa but we don't have a junk drawer. i grew up with one, it usually contained the birthday candles, those plastic tab things you get on the bread bags, and old keys that nobody knew went to what.

when i got married and moved in with my husband i tried to start a junk drawer in our kitchen. the contents were placed on the counter by my other half. he sees no purpose in a junk drawer.

in fact, if i put an extra roll of aluminum foil or ziplock baggies in the drawer where we keep those things, he'll usually remove one or too, because it's too full.

but i work hard at messing up other parts of the house just to drive him crazy. and because nothing is perfect, except for god.

Jamie said...

Sometimes life is just junk.