Disaster to Declutter

Most teenagers aren't thinking about all they can declutter and donate...but this one is an exception.

The following is a guest post from Parker Karrick.

For as long as I can remember, I've always said “man, one of these days I need to deep clean my room.” Each time I would get something that I didn't know what to do with, I would just shove it in the closet and say, “one of these days…” The cycle just kept continuing until one day... when I HAD to clean my room.

One evening, I was sitting downstairs when I noticed there was some water trickling down the wall. I knew that wasn't right so I went upstairs, told my parents, and after looking into it, they broke the news to me that they were going to have to cut a hole in my closet to check out the pipes in the bathroom. (My closet is right up against the bathroom) Good news for the house. Bad news for my room. I began to unload the stuff from my closet and I suddenly realized how much stuff I had. I thought I might have a lot in there, but I had never thought this much. After about thirty minutes, I stared at my now extremely messy room and dreaded the moment that I was going to have to go through all of it.

It took them about a week to fix the bathroom and patch up the 5’ by 2’ hole in my closet and then I had to start going through the 4’ by 5’ pile of stuff that was waiting for me. Now, don't get me wrong, going through all of that was awful, completely awful, but I knew that it needed to be done. It was also very good for me to do this because it helped me realize that it was all just stuff. Yes, I had some treasures and keepsakes, but the rest of it I truly didn't needed. There wasn't going to be a day when I said “you know what I think I need…” Finally I was left with only what truly mattered to me and what I needed.

I had never thought about becoming a minimalist because I thought it was all about getting rid of everything. But I was wrong, it is about giving up some stuff, but it is about discovering what you love and treasuring it. Now, after four bags of trash and 6 bags/boxes of giveaway items, it feels great. I can't wait to see what else I can do to focus on what I love, what I need, and giving stuff away to those who need it.