When we moved here, just over a year and half ago, we downsized to a house half the size of our previous home. We did so with the purposeful intention we were living with way too much stuff. We purged a lot before we moved, but even now I still feel like this poor little house is operating like a pack mule for all of our possessions.
When I meet military spouses who talk about moving 15 plus times, I'm in awe.
I suppose it gets easier right?
Now faced with an impending move this summer, I've begun preparing and I'm here to tell you I don't know why I have waited so long. Maybe it was the busy work schedule, or weekends filled with youth sports games or maybe just too lazy to get started.
This past weekend I spent two half-days rearranging our master bedroom. I cleaned, organized and got rid of a lot of things we no longer needed. The entire process was very therapeutic and as I sat in bed last night looking at my "new view", I couldn't help but say to myself with no one really listening, "I like this new view of the world."
Here are three things that I un-expectantly learned from rearranging my master bedroom:
- Function is everything. I started this whole process with the goal in mind of how would we function in this space. What did we need this space to accomplish? I wanted it to be peaceful, open and organized. However, it needed to accommodate my husband's desk, so we needed to be creative. I ended up creating two spaces. Now one side of the room is a "bedroom" and the other side is his "mini-office". Creating the two separate zones helped to define the space. Now the office is not creeping into the sleeping zone. Before the desk was on the same side of the room as the bed. I didn't see it as a problem then, but now that the desk is moved it has made a world of difference!
- A new view can change your vision for the day. With a new arrangement of furniture there is more open space. I can now easily open the curtains, see the large trees out the window and let in the natural light, when before the window was partially obstructed by a dresser. I love the sunshine and when fighting winter woes, this gives me a good foundation to start my day.
- Saying no to stuff means saying yes to peace. Since there is only one small, dollhouse-sized, closet, we have two wardrobes we purchased from Ikea a few months back. I realize I could have downsized to the point where everything should fit in our tiny closet, but I'm not ready to go cold turkey! I digress...back to the customizable wardrobes...I reconfigured the insides to better suit our clothes and shoes, determined to fit everything inside and it not be busting at the seams! With the project complete, I feel lighter and happier knowing everything has its place. I learned by trimming what we store and extreme organizing methods, the room is more spacious and feels more peaceful.
This project has been lingering at the bottom of my to-do list. Now that it is completed, I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to accomplish this life-changing task. The pay off is so worth the effort! Deployments or long separations create the opportune time for such projects.
Talk About It
What re-organizing project have you been putting off? How do you think it will improve your life perspective?
Go for it! And share your insights, I can't wait to hear about your organizing adventure!
