Category: History

  • How did this happen?

    How did this happen?

    I don’t think I’ve presented myself as some advanced de-clutterer. I’m not! The move certainly sped things up and concentrated my efforts. But the underlying conditions can creep up again. I was messy Mesi after all. I often had trouble figuring out what to do with the papers and things to come my way. Having…

  • Hitting a Wall

    Hitting a Wall

    Note: this post was originally written on March 3rd. It’s 9:15 pm on Wednesday and I am worn out. The living room has exploded into messy piles of photos. I decided to go through some of my boxes of sentimental papers and photos. Yes, kids, real physical photos and letters on paper and cards sent…

  • Small Improvements

    Small Improvements

    In my decluttering journey so far, I’ve tried to create some new habits. Making the bed. Keeping my bathroom counter clean. Concentrating on just one habit at a time before adding another has been helpful. With the pandemic and then the power outages, things have been more stressful, so some of my habits have backslid.…

  • They Called Me Messy Mesi

    They Called Me Messy Mesi

    My last name used to be Mesi – a Sicilian (Italian) name that we pronounced like the store Macy’s. The kids at school called me Messy Mesi. It stung, but it was accurate. Imagine a desk like this old-fashioned school desk… …stuffed to the gills with crumpled papers, school texts, notebooks, and pencils. Maybe a…