That title distract me- it is correct grammar? Moving on. You get the idea.

Pause, think, maybe write down- what is it that distracts you from the most important things in life?

What is clamoring for your attention while your kid is tugging at your pant leg?

What is stealing hours of your off day just managing and maintaining?

What do you wish you were doing instead of spending your weekend cleaning out your garage, again?

My morning reading got me thinking down this path. The phrase from my lectio divina (divine reading) was “let us strip off every weight that slows us down… And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”

What weighs you down?

What gets in your way of doing what your heart most longs for?

What slows you down from the life you want to live?

What messes with your endurance and makes you want to you to give up?

What frustrates you and annoys you because it is stealing time from greater endeavors?

For me, a HUGE one is stuff. And stuff. And more stuff. I will discuss more distractions in following posts.

This past weekend I switched 2 of my kids’ bedrooms. So needing to move all their stuff made me want to become Amish, move to desert island with just a trunk of material possessions and move into a tiny house with each one outfit and one luxury item. At first I was excited and motivated to help each purge their stuff because moving it all into one pile really helps one see the absurd volume of stuff. But after spending 20+ hours of my weekend sorting/purging/relocating their stuff I was just pissed. I was ticked at myself for contributing to this even though I feel like we only get them a few items each Christmas and birthday. I was ticked that I have not empowered them to live more minimally. I was ticked that they want to hold onto so much though it crowds their spaces. I was upset that I have enabled them to keep collecting by just organizing and managing their stuff for them. Pretty much every time I tackle a large organizing project I want to become a strict minimalist and force my fam to do the same.

It is so ironic that I love to organize other people’s stuff and help them live peacefully in their spaces yet ours consistently returns to a state of chaos. As an organizer I know all systems need regular maintenance and it is not a one and done thing. But I regularly ask, How are we here AGAIN? My husband graciously reminds me that we are a family of 6 so there is going to be a lot of stuff. I have to remind myself progress over perfection. And I am not going to give up until we have purged enough that 20 minutes is sufficient to tidy the whole house. I also know that daily habits of putting away helps too.

So I will take this angst and shift it to purging and getting rid of stuff that weighs us down rather than empowers the life I want. I know as kids they think everything they have they love. But we know what outfits they wear most or what toys they return to again and again. My job is to help them see that and to see how peaceful it feels when a space is open and decluttered.