The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
In conjunction with the NOR-MAN Regional Health Promotions and the Flin Flon Arts Council, a luncheon was held on Tuesday, May 17 at noon in the Green Room of the Flin Flon community Hall. The guest speaker was Judy Pettersen, who spoke on the subject of "clutter" in your home. It was the place to be if: - you keep a collection of empty plastic film canisters, - or you're hanging onto a lamp, toaster, hairdryer or waffle iron or other appliance that doesn't work or you just don't use, - or do you have shoes in your closet or in a storage space that you never wear, or clothes that just don't fit (but just in case) or clothes in your closet that you haven't worn for at least a year, or a kitchen drawer with extra twist ties, extra jar lids or old pieces of tin foil, keys that you have no idea what they are for? I think you get the picture. Well, the 25 people who turned out for this luncheon soon learned that they are not alone when it comes to saving things and that perhaps we inherited the "pack rat" scenario from our parents or grandparents who had been through the Depression, but really what is our excuse? Clutter, or junk, is simply a number of things scattered around the house, and the solution is not to get a bigger house, but to get rid of said junk! Why do women hang on to eight pairs of pantyhose that each have a run in them? To wear under pants! Do you really need eight pairs? Remember as a child you started a collection of butterflies or stamps, whatever. So everyone thought it was so great because now they knew exactly what to buy you on your birthday, at Christmas, Easter, etc. Well, you're all grown up now and you still have the collection that you have packed and moved around with you. Hello! Why? Maybe your sweet little old aunt gave you that "special" ornament that you really don't like and she has passed on so you better save it. Why? Clutter causes chaos in your soul. It makes you feel lethargic because your energy flow is obstructed by this clutter. We carry it around with us like a big bag of cement, weighing us down mentally. As Pettersen said, "All our possessions and their arrangement directly affect our energy, especially unused junk!" Our homes are divided in spaces, one area is for prosperity, one relationships, our kids have their own section, etc. Now start with one room, perhaps your bedroom, first clean out the closets throwing away everything you haven't used in a year. Vacuum thoroughly, cleaning off your dresser tops, etc. open the windows and let the fresh air blow in while the freshly laundered curtains are blowing in the wind. Feel the room, just feel the energy flow, physically, spiritually and see how your relationship with your partner changes. Next, try the living room and work on through the house. Get rid of things that don't make you feel good. What a great idea, Judy. I've heard you speak before and each time I go home and clean out more junk! What an interesting concept and you are right, it works.
