What I'm "Giving Up" For Lent

So when watching Oprah today, I saw that Peter Walsh was on. I love watching him on TLC's Clean Sweep. Have you seen that show? If not this is kind of how it goes. The crew shows up and shows a home with TONS of clutter. They clean out two rooms totally and put the stuff on a mat in their yard. That is when the fun begins.

After they have the stuff out of the room they give them about 30 mins to divide the things into three groups (Keep, Get Rid Of, and Trash). Nine out of ten times they don't get rid of a lot, and the host always says something about having to deal with Peter.

They are right too. When he comes out, he pushes the couple to really look at why they want the stuff. Most of the time it is because they say it is important to them. One of the things that has stuck with me is his response to this. He says if it is that important then you need to treat it as such. It should be in a place of honor in your home. It should also not be covered in dust, dirt, in a box, etc. The main thing he has said that sticks with me is..."Is it the thing that is important or the memory it brings?" You don't have to have the thing to keep the memory, and you shouldn't feel bad for getting rid of it. If it is something that has been in the family for a long time, he says to ask if others want it. If they don't, find another home for it.

Anyway, I didn't catch all of Oprah today, but I do know the gist of it. He was working with a family that wanted to get healthy. Their house was cluttered. He went through and helped them to de-clutter, organize, and taught them how having a cluttered home made them unhealthy.

I wish I could have seen the whole thing. Heck I wish I could have the same thing done at my home. I have talked once (or maybe twice) about how I am horrible with organization, clutter, etc. They say children mimic their parents, and I don't want my kids to live in clutter and just stuff. Peter talked about today to just start in one room. Really go through it and purge. He says that you should start with the kitchen and the master bedroom. He says that the bedroom drives the people and the kitchen is the source of health. Maybe I will take his advice.

Now I know it is after the start of lent, but I think this year I am going to not "give up" something, yet give myself a gift. This gift will be hard for me. I am attached to stuff. I love my stuff. I see stuff and I don't know how I will live without it or get by without it (even if it is still in the box and has never been used). So, you can keep me accountable, but this year for lent, I'm going to purge my kitchen and bedroom. I am moving in a month, so now is a great time. Keep coming back to see if I can make it or not. :)