Cleaning House

Listening to the purr of the trash truck stopping and starting in our neighborhood this morning reminds me that we need to purge our home of unnecessary stuff real soon. Brenda just reminded me that as we add new things, the old stuff being replaced needs to be trashed, sold or given away. The propensity to hoard can make home a place where we no longer find rest.

I think my life is that way, too. There are only so many things I can focus on at one time, anyway. What about those pesky habits and bad relationships we keep nursing--like a stale drink at a dull party? I saw a presentation on PBS the other night about multitasking. I didn't realize it, but on any given day, we may be dealing with four separate layers of tasks at one time. No wonder we fail at making deadlines, crash the car too often, and perform poorly in our jobs.

I guess there comes a time when we need to purge our lives of unnecessary clutter. A recent study from Oxford University indicates:

"People who have a large number of Facebook friends might be kidding themselves. In fact, the study said it's impossible for your brain to handle more than 150 real or online friends. 'In this particular study, the researcher defined friends as somebody you have contact with at least once a year,' said Dr. Ken Robbins, a psychologist at Stoughton Hospital. He said it's hard to get to the root of this study because it all depends on how one defines the word "friend."

The question we need to ask ourselves--like the preceding "friend" question--is what number of things in life can we effectively manage on a daily basis? We hold on to stuff (people) because we think we can use it (them) someday (ouch!). Isn't that what we hear those crazy hoarder people say on TV? We need to size-up our lives and make a true evaluation. My dad took the "I'm gonna be brutal" stand when deciding what to keep and what to toss during his recent move.

Maybe it's time to be just as brutal in our personal lives as well. Brenda always says: "Only have things that you cherish and cherish the things that you have." So cleaning house by focusing on what's cherished may be a great way to welcome spring.