Reflections From The Kitchen Sink On Excess

Excess

I’ve been grounded the last several days due to a knee surgery. When you’re forced to sit still, you notice a lot of things. I think my biggest observation so far is that we are a society of excess. Yes, even with my semi-successful purging efforts from last month, I still have to admit I have a clutter problem. It seems every element of contemporary life has a catch-all mechanism. Bigger houses with more closets and bigger memories with extra storage for our virtual worlds have made us addicted to stuff and/or a bit too lax with cleaning out the excess often enough.

I understand that it’s just the time in which we live, but electronics drive our lives. I have been too uncomfortable to read something of substance and too physically limited to work on a puzzle. I had the wild fleeting thought I would work on deleting old emails, texts, and those random screenshots filling up my phone’s memory, but that effort proved itself futile when I saw the number of things I was going to have to tackle. This David wasn’t ready for the electronic cloud named Goliath. It’s going to take more than a fun Sunday school song and a small rock for me to feel enough faith to think I can be successful with that task, I’m thinking.

My phone has become an accidental spot of hoarding. There is never a time when the excess falls out the edges where the door will no longer close. A click or two and you can just pay for a little more storage in the cloud. Quick and easy. You’ll never notice that $2.99 charge every month. A small charge for the comfort of clutter, right?

I’m finding myself stuck between two eras of overabundance. I have tote after tote of photos and even film negatives and a cloud full of photos and screenshots of which maybe 10% hold some actual heart value. I have my stack of magazines and mailbox excess and two emails that are crammed with literally thousands of “special” offers from advertisers and businesses who bait us with “10% off just for signing up for our emails.” The clutter is really just too much.

The idea that a “live simply” mantra can resonate with so many folks’ desire for less cluttered lifestyle shouldn’t be overlooked. The irony of the movement, though, is that there are books and multiple other self-help resources to immerse yourself in just to find that happy place. You have to increase your clutter to decrease your clutter…is that how this is all supposed to work?

If I’m going to have to sit here for a few more days, I’m going to at least set myself a few tangible goals to rid myself of at least a few lingering files. Five or ten minutes here and there has to eventually put a dent in this mess, right? Maybe by the time my knee cap is visible, I can have the same little heart flutter I had with the first full dumpster. I guess only time will tell.

Time for me to try to remember that Davey and Goliath rhyme. “De-cluttering 2.0: E-Files” starts now. I would love to know you tips for electronic file efficiency! Share your thoughts in the comments!

Until next time…

Bio-Melinda Campbell is a retired educator who currently focuses her efforts on raising her two teenaged boys, advocating for individuals with special needs and against drunk driving, and serving in her local community. Melinda has been gaining recognition for her writings labeled “Reflections from my Kitchen Sink” since the tragic death of her husband Michael in 2015. In her stories, she shares observations from her daily life including moments she has as a solo parent, a widow, and a woman who battles significant health issues including fibromyalgia and depression.