Day 1: The Purging Begins

Two things here: 

1. I wanted to let you know that I read nearly 100 pages of this book last night. (The candle is on it to hold down the cover so you can see it fully.)

2. There was no way on earth I was showing my closet in its current state in the first photo!

So here it is in all its ugliness. I will admit I am ashamed to have anyone see it. Thinking back, I don't know that I've ever let something get to this point.

That being said, it is what it is!

This is the closet at the end of my bedroom. It is where I keep my winter clothing and coats. And a bit of everything else!

It also has the shelves, which as you can see, I've taken upon myself to fill to the brim.

I know I cleaned out this closet last summer. But you wouldn't know it by looking at this utter mess, would you?

It is embarrassing. But showing it galvanizes me into action. 

By taking down so many things I had on my apartment walls, all those things had to go someplace. And here is where it all went. 

When I change any decor, this is where everything goes. I don't have an attic. I don't have a basement. I don't have a garage or a shed. This is it, folks. 

Now you see why I'm striving for cozy minimalism.

Someone asked how to join The Urge To Purge series, and there was no way for me to reply to them. So I'll say it here: All you have to do is start purging. 

And if you'd like to join in the discussion, do so in the comments. If you don't want to do that, email me with your progress. 

If you just want to do this and not communicate with the rest of us, that is okay too!

The whole point is just to begin. 

We can talk about our progress on a daily basis. Ask questions, give advice. Whatever you feel is warranted or desired. 

***

As for the book I started, I must say the print could be better in the book. But then I'm noticing more and more that publishers aren't doing such a great job on the editing and publishing of books these days. 

But aside from that, I will say that the pages I have read thus far have spurred me toward feeling much better. I think I might be able to finally climb out of the deep dark hole I've found myself in.

Not only that, seeing other mothers' pain and reading their stories gave me insight and pushed me to understand things that were foggy before. 

I started the book with shaking hands, literally. I didn't know if I could bring myself to read something that I knew would bring pain to the forefront. But I made myself do it.

And oh, I'm so glad that I did!

  
In under 100 pages, I see things with much more clarity than I did before. 

I've gone back and forth for three years wondering where the fault lies. Why this happened. 

And really, that is a futile exercise. Because I'll probably never really know the whole story.


I saw a bit of myself in all of the mothers whose stories you can read about in this book, and have come to some realizations that, had I known to focus on them earlier, would have saved me a lot of sorrow. 

The world has changed, folks. Our era was all about respecting our elders. 

If you read this book, you will read the statistics on what has changed since we were young. 

In doing some research, I have found another book I might want to check into.

I found this on his website:

A SILENT EPIDEMIC

It is not an exaggeration to say that there is an epidemic of parents who have been estranged by their grown children. 

However, because of the shame that parents feel, it is largely silent. It is silent because few parents want to admit that their own child doesn’t want to talk to them, spend time with them, or blames them for how their life turned out.

Check out the website here if you want to know more.

I'm headed back to that closet to dig in! No time like the present.

To all of you, Happy New Year! It is the first day of a new year for new beginnings.

And acceptance for things we cannot change.