On the first days of this new year…
… I decided to just take it slow. I have let go of the need to accomplish things as soon as possible. There is still tomorrow, the world is not yet ending.1
It’s now the 3rd day of January (on the cusp of going 4th)2 and I’m proud for giving my mind a bit of a breather.
New years are probably one of the most noticeable markers of a new beginning, a reset, a time to start another chapter in our lives. It is a time when people would set out resolutions or manifestations that they want to achieve in the new year.
But for me, I stayed close to what is in front of me. Literally — clutter.
Miscellaneous objects populate the sofa from a box from a package, an umbrella, a red Marks & Spencer paper bag, and more. Beneath our console is half of a cardboard box and the cover of a Randy’s Donuts box that has been repurposed as a container of our 5-year old’s toys.
Clutter is complex. Others or you might also say that it would be easy to pick things up, put them away, and put them together somewhere.
It’s simply not just that for me. Aside from the physical act of picking things up, the hurdle for me lies in the mind.
I want our place to be clean and properly organised but upon seeing the visual clutter that is fluttering around, I easily become overwhelmed. Especially with us living with a child.3 That was why I attempted to clean everything before another year begins.
In the end, I only accomplished clearing and cleaning our circular glass dining table and organising the kitchen cabinets which contains a mix of our pantry, drinks, some toiletries, and every grouped items that could fit.
And I was okay with that and I felt proud.
I never minded that there were other parts of the house that needed to be cleaned. I can do those the following days, I said to myself. And so, I did.4
But I feel good for accomplishing those things and taking things slow, easing myself into the new year.
Before this became a short contemplation on clutter and cleaning up, dear reader, I just have a simple message for you this new year. I hope that you would or you are taking time to listen to yourself and your body. It’s okay to do the bare minimum and to take things slow.
The plans that we set ourselves for the year are just a guide and like any good trip, it’ll be okay to hit roadblocks, have detours, find other places, or set out a new destination along the way.
We are just fleeting sentient particles throughout the universe’s vast sky — like fireworks that are wonderful to look at for the time being but gradually disappearing, dissipating, being one with the heavens. That’s what we are in deep time.
So flicker, shine, and illuminate this 2023 however you want it and at your own pace.
but it sure must be getting near due to climate change, people
as I again try to post this as soon as possible
I have to acknowledge the fact that we’re living in a small 1 BR space of around 30 sqm. It will be hard to properly pack all of our stuff which we have accumulated throughout the years
and no, I’m not done yet as I type