SOLC 2013 Day 14: Homecaring

The word prompt of the day was "care", and the first thought that popped into my mind was "homecaring".  

I'm not even sure where I first heard the term.  I remember there was a discussion about the difference between "housekeeping" and "homecaring".  I think the latter was used as motivation for doing household chores.  Doing laundry, cleaning the toilet, and loading the dishwasher aren't just things we do to maintain a house; we do them to care for our home and those who reside in it.  As I've often told my family, "Nothing says 'I love you' like clean underwear in your drawer."

Today, though, I'm paying attention to the connection between homecaring and caring for myself.  I've read time and time (and time) again that uncluttered, peaceful surroundings reduce stress.   And yet I continue to be a clutterbug.  I blame it on my upbringing as a Brat; since we tend to have no geographical home base (pun intended), our stuff becomes our home, the only physical reminders of our experiences.  And while I'm not at hoarder status--trash does get thrown away in our house, and the recycle bin has to be emptied several times a week--I've definitely accumulated waaaay too much stuff over the years.
  
The mountain of stuff I'm climbing today is clothes.  Switching out the fall/winter duds for spring/summer, I've come to the realization that I have more clothes than I can wear in a year.  

Deciding what stays and what goes just about paralyzes me.  I don't tend to buy trendy, and stick to a lot of solid colors, so I can't use the "it's out of style" reason to pitch most stuff.  I've also lost a lot of weight, and gained it all back, over the last six years.  Since I've lost the weight before, I'm convinced that I can do it again (and need to, for my health!), so I'm holding on to clothes within two sizes down.  

All this makes for a LOT of bins and bags and piles--which is now covering my bed, bedroom floor, and spilling out into the dressing area.  My husband has already nixed the idea of putting any of it in the garage (there's stuff to go through there, too).  I'm now wishing I was better at Tetris; it might help me find room for all of it.  

Five pieces of clothing have actually ended up in the discard pile.  Time to wade once more into the fray, and see if I can add to that amount.  I would like to sleep in my bed tonight!  And maybe, just maybe, it will seem a bit more peaceful, with less clutter to view from the pillow.