How I dread it!

I relax from my normal cleaning tasks once the Christmas decorations have been banished to the attic (usually around January 2nd or 3rd). Since we own a small business (and have employees), my January routine is mostly dedicated to filing forms, making reports and figuring out which government entity should receive which form or forms (and urging myself through this drudgery to ensure everything has been done in a timely fashion). Yeah, I dread all that too, but please just ignore my complaints. (With all the paperwork, I get grumpy.)

Considering my focus on the business in January, other things around my house have a tendency to pile up. The newspapers stack up on the back stairs. (The recycling center is all the way across town.) Mail and business papers pile up as well; they’ll be sorted into stacks awaiting further attention later; tax documents that arrive in the mail get stuffed into file folders. (No point in doing my taxes before all the documents are in hand.)

By the time February arrives, I’ve weeded my way to the end of business necessities, and managed to take a horrified glimpse at my surroundings! Given the cold blast of winter we’ve received this year that makes me want to stay inside, I realize I’ve moved into hibernation mode. I’ve had the constant temptation to snuggle up with a good book, a cup of hot tea or coffee and a comfy woolen throw to wait the arrival of warmer weather and sunshine. Is this the way bears feel when they’re in hibernation?

But the sun did shine today (extra brightly when reflected off the snow-covered ground), so I was spurred to give the house cleaning a swipe or two. Between discarded toys, a couple stacks of paperwork for our business and various unread magazines, I loaded a couple boxes of stuff.

Most of the stuff was moved temporarily to our garage. There are burn piles, recycle piles and giveaway piles. The garage itself needs a good cleaning, but since the cars are still bringing in all kinds of road dirt and gunk, that cleaning will have to wait until Spring.

This sonnet below reflects our (my) tendency to hang onto stuff. I’m a sentimental person and rather than make a decision to pitch, things often pile up until I lose my patience with the accumulated mess. (Yes, it would be accurate to say I wrote this sonnet to remind myself how silly it is to be a pack rat.)

I love the suggestions offered at this website! How smart to whittle the routine tasks of house cleaning into 20 minutes per day! So efficient! And while the website’s called apartment therapy, I think the suggestions are practical for most living situations. I’m going to give it a try!

But first … I’m going to grab a refill of more hot tea!