This Took Guts

Happy Organization week everyone! My prayer for you is that your life feels clean, clutter-free, and easy. HAH. I wish. Let’s be real- sometimes even when we clean our spaces, life is just still so messy. And stressful. And overwhelming. But in all of that, I do find that a pile-free bedroom does lift that burden of life just a little bit. Orrrrr…. an office!

That’s right- we’re taking a little road trip over to work today. Pretend it’s like “take your blog to work day”. I used to love those days as a kid- especially because my mom is an art teacher. But on the flip side, she teaches in an elementary school, so it was pretty much just like going to a different school for the day. Except without the work. So still good. 🙂

Anyway, YOU get to come with ME to work today! In honor of Organization Week, I figured I’d show you one of the spaces in my life that is in shambles 87% of the time. Call me vulnerable, but here goes. My office:

This space is a catch-all. When big events are done and people are helping to clean up, supplies get dumped in here for later sorting. When we return from a trip and students are unloading the bus, all the left-behind sleeping bags, pillows, board games we played, random T-shirts… all get thrown in here for me to find homes for. And just general tom-foolery, really. Being a youth pastor/director inevitably comes with the weirdest toys and game items finding their way into my work space. For example, where can you find multiple rolls of toilet paper, a dirty teen-sock, piles of “I <3 (insert our church name here)” tattoos, play doh, and a box of ball pit balls (we used them in this game)…. all in one spot? My office.

So those photos above? I would say that’s how it is most of the time… messy, cluttered, but not beyond repair. Want to see it in its absolute worst? I mean, DISASTER ZONE. Like a child could be buried in there and I would never know. That bad. Ok, you asked…

Oh, the shame. Granted, this was taken immediately after like 4,000 events, a couple of theme nights, and a smattering of trips. But still, THE SHAME.

So one day, I just. couldn’t. take. it. anymore. I was tired of the junk encroaching on my work area. So I cleaned. With a vengeance. I will spare you the step-by-step because I am fairly certain you all know how, it’s just a matter of working up the willpower. Don’t worry- I’m with ya. How about we go straight to the “afters”?

Ah, what a difference! Just take a moment and scroll up and down between those last two shots- does your mood change with each swish of the finger? Yeah, mine too. I feel physically lighter. Is that weird? Like taking care of the junk in the spaces you live in somehow makes your body and mind less junk-filled too…

Everything got a cleaning- I left no stone un-turned, no pile un-touched. Even my bulletin board got stripped of most of its clutter!

And to reward myself, I brought in a jar of flowers a la Produce Junction. 🙂 They make me smile every time I look at them. That picture of Mitch and I was taken three years ago- the last time we visited Disney World with his family. The two of us had ventured to Epcot for a day… ah, the memories. Can’t wait to go back!

So how about you? PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who has had to perform reconstructive surgery on their office, bedroom, kitchen, dorm room, etc. before. PLEASEGODDON’TLETMEBETHEONLYONE. So spill. What’s your dirtiest secret? Clutter-wise, people. I mean, really, this is the WorldWideWeb after all… although it did take me some time to work up the courage to post that ridiculous mess of an office a few photos up. So let your freak flag fly. 🙂