“If you live surrounded by clutter, it is impossible to have clarity about what you are doing in your life”-Karen Kingston
“If you feel out of control, clean a drawer” –My mother, June Church
Week three of retirement has been about gaining back control of my life. I thought that I would roll with retiring more than I have. I expected to adjust and be fully engaged in this new chapter in life in… maybe a week? But ha! I fooled myself once again! Kendra told me this morning that she usually gives herself three months to adjust to any new situation. Maybe that timeline is a little more realistic. It is ironic that I am adjusting to retiring from my career and making sense of my new day to day reality when Kelly (who took over my job) is also adjusting to working again after being a SAHM (stay at home mom) for several years. Maybe we are constantly in a state of flux as we transition in life. Perhaps there are stages in transitioning into retirement – similar to the Kubler-Ross stages of loss (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). Certainly, acceptance is my end goal here! So instead of belabouring with my identity crisis and fully knowing and understanding my new sense of purpose in life, I began to declutter and throw out! Mom always said it helps when you are feeling out of control. While I am waiting for this unbalanced “stage” to be over, I will simplify and organize my life instead of being surrounded by muddle and noise. My environment is something that I can control. Physical clutter adds to mental clutter. Perhaps with less bedlam and chaos in my surroundings – the new me will emerge! It has been a great week for decluttering and throwing things out! I have now completed purging many areas in my house and I am beginning to feel a sense of calm and control. It feels so good! I look forward to embracing the next stage in this process (hopefully it is acceptance) – when I have to declutter is through!
