CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX :
Do you remember "The Top Shelf Challenge " (chapter 66) ? I hope some of you do, and still use it. With the kick-off of Autumn it could be worth reading it again to make a fresh start...
By the way, thanks a million to the new readers who, when they scroll down my blog and come across the Top Shelf Challenge, never fail to send me mails (perkybusybee@gmail.com) to tell me how efficient and funny that tip is !
It is true that it works for top shelves, as its name suggests, but for drawers, garages, cellars and attics,as well!
Decluttering, when you roll up your sleeves and decide to spend the whole day, and even burn the midnight oïl, throwing and putting away,can be deadly boring and nerve-racking ! For sure !!
But a 15 minutes'clear-out is peanuts ! No fuss, no pain, no rage !
So, if " an apple a day keeps the doctor away " proves to be true, why not make out our own saying, such as, for example, " A quarter a day keeps the clutter away " ?
Great,isn't it ?
Well, yes, as long as you don't think the other way round is true-to-life,too ...
I mean, " A quarter a day is enough to pile up stuff " !
Honestly, which saying matches you better ?
Come on, play it fair ! Whatever your answer,it doesn't mean you are a cleanliness freak or a hoarder !
I am just asking about a tendency to ! Nothing to be ashamed of !
Well, to make you feel comfortable, let me show you which rung of the Clutter Hoarding Scale I stand on !
As far as I can remember, I have always enjoyed reading. I can even say that reading has always been my favourite leisure activity.
When a child, I used to spend weekends and days off poring through the exciting adventures of " The Five Find-outers ", the famous series by Enid Blyton.
A bit later, at the local library I came across "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ", and I immediately became a die-hard fan of all the short stories by Roald Dahl.
I think I should send a thank-you letter to those two authors (fort the first, posthumously, unfortunately), cause they really foster my lifelong love of books !!
Years have gone by and I've grown up into a bookworm.
Wherever I go, I always make sure I've got a book in my totebag.
By the way, have you noticed how dingy, dog-eared and boring , reviews in waiting-rooms are !
Are we all suposed to be avid readers of cars and motorbikes magazines, or medical journals ?
Well, let's say no more about it !
After all, lugging around books is not that bad, is it ?
Depending on the weight of the volume, of course !
Some can play havoc on your shoulders !
( You see how careful I am about your health !).
No, what is wrong with major book readers is that whenever they walk into a bookstore, they get sidetracked in a wink.
Most of the time, they get out of their favourite haunt, crushed under their purchases, I mean, the book they were to buy, plus all the ones they browsed through and couldn't put back on the display,cause of
" you never know " or " why not ? " hesitations.
And that's my case !!
The last time we moved, I realized I should have curbed that 'cumbersome ' liking long ago ...
Packing books can be tricky !
Have you evr tried to pick up an over-packed box full of books ? Back breaking !!
Anyway, during our last removal, I decided to get rid of some volumes and donate them to a nearby charity.
Sorting them out was no picnic, but I took up the challenge quite bravely and bade farewell to some books I thought I would never read again.
Once I was done with that chore, I had to admit we had far fewer cardboard boxes to carry into our new home.
For once we would not have to buy new bookshelves to accommodate our ' ever-growing ' book collection !
But we had not taken into account the local bookfairs,and that's when things went wrong, or to be more precise, from bad to worse.
First, because I couldn't help visiting one of those fairs, where I found that special something : a collection of 10 books about " Writing through the centuries "!
They were just like new, and I came back home as a happy as a lark ( or I should say, as perky as a busy bee ), and I must confess, pretty proud of my good bargain !
And then, it was just like entering the ring ...
First round : first blow !
Dearhubby told me that two years before, when we had moved, I had got rid of that collection without any hesitation, claiming that they were just deadly boring and old-fashioned !
Second round : knocked out !
Dearhubby, mercilessly,dealt a fatal blow to the impulsive buyer-reader I was, when he said :
" You see, Perky, the bookshelves are crammed, no more room for your stuff ! You'll have to put them away on one of the top-shelves of the pantries ! ".
Help, help !! Help me get out of that tight spot , please !
Not only had I crammed my top-shelves again, but I absolutely had to get a handbook on how to cure book addiction !
Could you recommend one worth buying ? Thanks in advance !
That's all for this week, folks !
Make the most of each day and don't forget : be perky !
