I'm starting this thread because I know checking in on a regular basis helps me. If anyone else wants to check in, go for it

Two incidents last week gave me a kick in the pants to start getting better about keeping up with housekeeping. I visited a friend whose house is under construction yet 10x neater and nicer than my own. A few days later, a different friend of mine made some sort of joking reference to me being a hoarder. I'm not a hoarder - more like a pack rat - but I know that I am happier when I am not surrounded by as much stuff as I have at the moment. I had enough space for my stuff, but when my boyfriend moved in six years ago with all of his stuff -- well, there's not enough room.

Anyway. Today I decided to go through a pile of papers I had sitting on a table. There are about six gardening magazines my mother gave me, a newsletter from a nature group I belong to, an application to join a gardening group, a poem someone gave me, some papers from my gardening class, and notes for a trip I already took.

I tossed a few of the papers but put the rest of it in a pile. Then I stopped and asked myself what I was doing. The magazines went in the recycling bin. I read the newsletter and decided to save it because I may want to sign up for some of the events they are holding and there's some reference info. I'm also hanging onto the garden club application, although I am not sure I want to join. I put the gardening papers in with the binder I used to store the rest of the coursework from that class. I took a photo of the poem and tossed a few odds and ends.

What I am noticing about this is that I like to hang on to things for a later that never comes. The nature newsletter has some information about courses I might want to sign up for. I need to look at my calendar and either do it or not do it. This is a real pattern for me, finding things that look interesting and then dithering about them until it's too late to sign up. Fear of commitment?

Okay, back to tossing.