Time for A Clean Start

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. After all, when you’re perfect there’s little reason to change.

Instead I’ve always focused on trying to get a fresh start. Some do spring cleaning; I do New Year’s cleaning. Like my mother, I’m a firm believer that Christmas decorations need to be down by the end of the holidays, today.

Most of the Christmas ornaments were put away yesterday, and we finished taking down the tree today. Despite the rain, all the outside lights came down today, too.

I spent nearly all day yesterday sorting out and cleaning up the Playmobil knights after the vacation onslaught.

I’ve spent much of the last week trying to get my den/office space cleaned up, including prepaying bills and balancing the checkbook, throwing more books away, and filing medical records in tax folders. Hopefully, I’ll finish by tomorrow and can thoroughly dust and wash shelves, spot clean the carpet, and wash windows.

Although a thorough cleaning has been a part of my life as long as I can remember, I suspect this article on stuff via mousemusings has provided additional motivation.

I’ve been reading and recycling or discarding books for the last four years, as I’ve noted here before. Except for poetry books and a few reference books, there will be very few books left shortly.

Update: Here’s a link to a Christian Science Monitor article that describes a similar, but better, tradition in Italy