Organizing Makes My Heart Sing

Linen Closet, Organized

I've long known that I like organizing.  My childhood self would be surprised to hear that because I was not the most organized child.  I very much remember my desk in my bedroom at home constantly overflowing with stuff.  I was also a bit of a hoarder back then, something that took work to break.   But once I got better at letting excess STUFF go and our house was no longer over burdened by keeping it all in place, I wanted things organized.

I think better when our house is regularly clean.  It brings me joy when the kitchen counters and the dining table are clear.  It really does.  I know I function better when spaces are organized and orderly.

I get excited when I figure out something new to organize or when I figure out a solution to a long nagging project (like the hooks I want put up in our stairs so Luke's backpack has a home).  My favorite part of every project is when I get to put things back in place, to give them a place.  Whether it's when the bathroom vanity and medicine cupboards were finally ready to be filled (a project I started at 11pm, the second Matt said they were ready, because I could. not. wait.) or my basement pantry shelves (not 11pm when I filled those), or all the cupboards once the paint was dry.

Painting Inside the Kitchen Dish Cupboard

It took me a long time to realize that not everyone feels the same joy that I do when it comes to organizing.  (Starting with my husband, I've excitedly exclaimed to him, more than once, "And now you get to do the organizing and that's the best part!" only to have him, politely, roll his eyes at me and, lovingly, tell me I'm a little bit crazy.)

Organizing isn't just about keeping track of all our belongings but also establishing good routines and rhythms.  It's about organizing our calendar, having solid routines for our pain points - like before school, right after school, etc.  I like not having to think about the mundane, recurring things so I have brain space for more important thinking.  I can not overstate how much I enjoy and appreciate a good routine (and the fact that we've had so many snow/ice days off school in the past month is messing with my head a little.  I'm already grouchy for all the school days he'll have in June when it's nice outside!)

Craft Shelved: Organized

I've spent this whole school year training Luke to take care of his backpack (getting out his folder, emptying all the papers he brought home, putting the folder back), put his lunch box next to the sink, and hang up his coat.  I don't want to tell him to do these things every day (even though I have for the last 100+ days of school) because I want him to, slowly, learn to do them himself (and we are getting there!).  Then we can move on without afternoon. 

Organizing even shows up in all the professional jobs I've had the last 14 years since I graduated college.  I spent 8 years working in public accounting before kids and have worked (very) part-time in bookkeeping in the (almost) 6 years since.  It took me almost that long to realize that the reason my brain seems to take to accounting is because it is basically organizing the numbers, making sure they all have a place and putting them there. 

Basement Pantry: Organized

All this to say, like reading, organizing is something I enjoy which is why those are some of my most frequent blog topics.  There aren't a lot of things I feel super qualified to discuss but those are two of them (I'd say I'm also fairly decent at homemade ice cream at this point.) 

One of things that has surprised me most in my 30s is how much better I feel like I know myself, at how much better I can understand myself and how I work.  It's a pretty nice upside to the whole growing older bit.  It makes it easier to work with myself, even when I drive myself a little bit crazy.  And figuring out I really like organizing, well that's just a piece of me but it's really helped me figure myself out a little bit better.