Minefield Boxes

Do you have any minefield boxes or bags in your home? I sure do! Let me explain…In times of desperation or laziness I have grabbed a box or a bag and shoved a bunch of random stuff in it. Maybe we had company coming over and in the final throws of pre-visit cleaning I had a pile I couldn’t deal with sorting. Or maybe I was just tired of looking at a stack of stuff on a table and didn’t want to go through it. I know I am not alone in this practice as some of my friends have admitted to taking such hurried anti-organization measures.

Now to get even more vulnerable I will tell you that during long periods of depression (hello 2018 & 2019, I’m looking at you) those bags and boxes multiplied. And after more long periods of other tough life shit (hello 2020, now I’m looking at you) it became easier to procrastinate and avoid them.

Well it’s time to pull those bags and boxes out, which is exactly what I have been doing the past couple of months, slowly but surely. Here is where the “minefield” comes in, because lurking in those boxes and bags, interspersed with old receipts, restaurant menus, and hair ties are what I refer to as “memory bombs”. They could be an old photo, a greeting card, a ticket stub, a business card, they take many forms. Sometimes those bombs can be quite painful. Today’s minefield box included a photo of me book-ended by two women who were once very close friends. I’ve resolved a lot of the feelings I have about each of them and their lost friendships, but it still packed quite a punch looking at that photo today. While other bombs can be a good surprise or even a “love bomb”, like this photo of my Grams I found in the same box today. Her name was Lillian and she played a big role in raising me. I love her and I miss her and this photo of her makes me smile. Bonus, the photo I found was already in this little frame. So on my desk she is going to stay, watching over me, encouraging me to face all of those minefield boxes. Because I deserve to be free of them and to not have any emotional minefields in our home.

I know that several of my blog posts have been about grief. This blog is a reflection of me and my life experience, current challenges, and happenings. The truth is I’m processing a lot of grief again, especially as I do the work of clutter clearing and organizing our home. The grief is lifting, that is the good news. And just like life, I will be onto the next set of life events, problem areas, and interests, therefore my blog posts will reflect other topics.

As always, I love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. If you have similar experiences, feelings, or even solutions please share.

xo,
Nicole