Hello Flylady,

Thank you for all you do

My younger sister first introduced me to Flylady 17 ½ years ago; in 1991, when my second child was born—I was exhausted, depressed and frustrated…. she said: “Just clean your sink.”  I thought she was nuts.  However, I followed her suggestion; and furthermore, subscribed online to this crazy thing she told me was called Flylady.  Well it really helped.  I’ve practiced the fundamentals on and off for all of these years.  I’ve bought the books, and cancelled and resubscribed many times.  When things get a bit nutty and out of control, I start all over again, and it gets easier and easier with each attempt, because I’ve already incorporated so many of the lessons.

I do keep my sink shiny, almost all of the time—unloading the dishwasher really does take only 2 – 3 minutes..  I do put my shoes on first thing—even if they don’t tie up and may be sandals, I do make my bed which also takes a mere 2 minutes, and I enjoy doing the 27 boogie fling/toss and 5 minute declutter exercises, both at work and home.  Maybe I’m not describing the lessons perfectly—but it doesn’t matter–it’s about absorbing and adopting the principles.  I am so delighted to donate, throw away, give away or just not acquire in the first place.  I went to the thrift store today with a box, and it makes me feel much lighter.  I have no regrets about whatever it was I donated—it’s not worth fretting over.

So why am I writing?  I am a designer who makes fashion accessories out of vintage, antique and used fabric and materials.  I have a warehouse and small staff who work for me.  The nature of my business is that I accumulate things that I may not be able to find or acquire later due to scarcity.  But, even with old inventory, unused materials, furnishings, tools, etc…. we can always trim down.  I truly believe and uphold the principle that you can not organize clutter.  That being said, I am a reasonably organized person. (Organization may be another way to justify ‘clutter management’.)  I fall into the trap of hanging onto too much ‘stuff’ and just by labeling the boxes and bins to feel I’ve got control.  It’s such a relief and release to open and old bin, or box or drawers, and realize no matter how perfectly it was labeled and how it was organized, the contents are no longer useful…. and move them on.

I often joke about getting a large dumpster to pull up to my warehouse and throw it all away.  That’s not really practical, nor realistic,  considering my investment, and it’s necessity to my work… but that impulse helps me make decisions on a regular basis to just get rid of unneeded stuff and reduced the mass.  I have no interest, nor intent in renting more space.

I hope others discover the freedom that comes from living a more minimalist life, and can find the strength and determination to let go, one baby step at a time.  It’s so much easier to have a clean and orderly environment if you have much much less stuff.  I thank sister so much for turning me on to something so simple as shining my sink…it led to a more freeing way of life.  It changed my life for the better.  So I think the term: FLYlady is very appropriate (whatever it’s origin,) because it truly means being liberated from the oppression that our obsession with having, collecting and saving material, material objects, material goods, brings to us—which if essentially just a trap—allowing us to FLY.

Best to everyone who is doing there best to make positive changes,
Judy A.
Claremont, CA
USA