Do you want to know if I have disorder?
Let me give you a hint: I love furry things. You name it and I would give it a home.
Breathing, circulating blood, fur babies.
Any furry baby would do, however my best friend is a dog.
In fact, it is clear to me that my life would not be complete without a dog, something I have had since I moved out on my own at the age of 19, many eons ago.
The moment I said “goodbye” to my childhood home and headed across the country to my new “adult” life, a dog was always by my side.
It started with Tinker, an adorable miniature Dobie. She went everywhere with me as my constant companion. Back then, it was a time of great solitude, 3000 miles from everything I knew: Tinker made sure that he felt loved.
Over the years, I have had many furry and feathered loved ones.
A litter of Sheltie puppies at the same time I gave birth to my daughter. What was she thinking? A grumpy lovebird that we thought was male, until he started laying eggs. A beautiful Burmese cat that we nickname “hell bitch” because no person or animal dares to mess with her.
And, at one point, we had three cats, three dogs, and two rabbits.
Good thing I now live in a semi-detached house with just a deck, or I might as well have a herd of goats roaming the backyard!
Oh, did I mention my passion for goats?
But let me cut to the chase –
What does this have to do with your mess? And how does my “pet’s” mess relate to the areas you may be experiencing?
My experience speaks volumes about why “animals” became my clutter: what I collected, kept, and wanted more of, even when there were too many of them.
Even when it was inconvenient, expensive, and added stress to my already busy life.
I didn’t realize that I was filling a loneliness, a void. A poignant memory of that time in my life with Tinker, where I was desperately alone, with no friends or family around.
It set the stage for years of trying to fill that void with more animals.
The awareness that this was my mess came to me more recently, when I started my journey towards minimalism.
A journey driven by the desire for a way of life that focuses on living with less: fewer things, obligations, debts, busyness and frenzy. And, fewer pets.
Get rid of all the superfluous stuff so I can focus on what really matters!
And even though I have fewer pets than at any other time in my life, it doesn’t take away from the constant yearning to fill my home, my heart, and my life with more of them.
But, now I know more does not make me happy. It doesn’t make life easier.
It doesn’t fill that void.
Only clutter fills that void.
Could it be time for you to dig deeper into what’s behind your mess? There’s a reason you have it. A deeper reason that has filled the mess: it prevents you from seeing the real truth behind it.
What do you need to clear? What truth must you embrace to do so?
And in the meantime, when I see an adorable stray puppy or kitten in need of a home…
I take a deep breath and say…
“Om, Juana… Om.”
Aspire. Exhale. Let it roll.