Dear FlyLady,

I’ve been a flybaby for 6 months.  I am a typical flybaby.  I’m an extreme person.  I’m either 100% in or 100% out of something.  So when I came across this system I thought this is a piece of cake especially since I had recently gone from being a full/overtime outside the home worker to a full time home executive.

In my mind I thought I really have it all together I just need to do some deep cleaning and organizing.  To say the least at first I crashed and burned alot.  But I didn’t give up.  Slowly I began to “get” the system.  This is all about changing attitudes and building lifetime habits.  I had so much stuff that I didn’t know what I had and many times couldn’t find what I needed when I needed it.  I have clothes and shoes galore.  Instead of doing the clean sweep that I expected, I am slowly considering what I need to keep and what I need to donate.  As this process is going on, I am losing weight almost effortlessly which is quite a shock after years of battling with my weight.  I see now that I was using weight as an insulator against being hurt, a shield to protect myself.  This excess expressed itself in every part of my life.

I’m thinking carefully now about what I need in my life.  It takes a little time to let go of items, it is almost like letting go of dreams.  My interests are cooking, sewing, artwork, crafts so I had tons of books about these hobbies but when I was working full time/overtime I didn’t have time to do them.  So instead of doing them, I collected the books.  It made me feel good and still connected to the hobbies I enjoy.  Many are out of date and things I’ll never do so they have been easy to take to the resale bookstore and Goodwill.

I love Christmas so I did the same thing there, a kind of over-kill.  I’ve donated Christmas dishes, ornaments, and knick-knacks without pain and only kept the ones I really love and use.  I gather bags of items and most of the time take them right away to the drop box less than a mile away from my house.  I found that if I kept them around very long I would start rifling through them again and be tempted to keep the items. When I do take them right away I find that I don’t have any regrets and have a great feeling of relief.

What is so exciting is that I’ve found as I’ve cleared away things I don’t need, things that I do need are coming into my life just when I need them because there is room now.  And they come from unexpected places.  I can’t even say that I’m half way through decluttering but I’m seeing a change in my home.

Others in my family are beginning to let items go, too.  We seem to have had a territorial war going on with this stuff and didn’t realize it.  Now I want everyone to have room for the things they need, use and love.  I’m tired of being “stuck” and am ready to travel fast and far by traveling light.

Thank you for your guidance, love and understanding.  Without them I’m sure I would still be collecting useless items and stacking it to the sky!  I appreciate what you and your crew do.  I know you have been where I am and understand.—–

Getting lighter every day in Oklahoma

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