De-Clutter, De-Lovely

I've been feeling a bit down all week. It's probably from listening to NPR all the time and the doom and gloom about the economy, but it's made me not want to do anything. I get this way sometimes, I'm sure we all do, when we go through the motions wondering what it's all about? Perhaps it's the ennui felt by the romantic poets at the end of the 19th century. Ah, who am I kidding, I've just got suburban angst. If it is the economy, maybe I should follow Wenderina's advice over at Anxious Moments and buy a car...

One thing that does help is cleaning and de-cluttering. We call it purging in my house but most people think of something else when I use the word purge so I won't. Perhaps it's the physical activity of cleaning that lifts my spirits. I do feel better after a yoga class. I leave the class feeling warm and friendly toward my fellow man. Then I get in my car and my fellow man pulls out in front of me going 5 miles below the speed limit and I'm not so warm and friendly anymore.

But I think de-cluttering also helps make the chi flow freer, leaving me lighter and clearer. I'm a big believer in chi. When I clutter up my house with junk, the chi seems stuck and so do I. It's funny, I do believe in chi, but I'm not sure I subscribe to the notion of the universe talking to me. Those two seem to go hand in hand. I've never heard the universe talking to me. Maybe it has and I've been too busy listening to NPR to notice.

Part of this de-cluttering activity has been spurred on by our basement project. We've taken down the old drop ceiling in our basement. In it's stead, we've put up insulation and are covering it with scenic muslin. It's going to look so cool. Or, it's going to look like crap. Time will tell. But whatever it looks like, it'll be a cleaner, lighter, chi-flowing basement without all the unused junk in it.

It's rather strange that we're putting material on our basement ceiling because I'm not a material girl. Oh that was funny. Anyway, what I mean is, I hate linens of all sorts: curtains, dust ruffles, tablecloths, etc. Our house is set back from the street so you can't see into it which has allowed me to get rid of most of the curtains in my house (except for the kids' rooms, they kind of need them). You know what's wrong with curtains? They get dirty and you have to wash them. As part of my de-cluttering, I also threw out the dust ruffle on my daughter's bed. Who needs dust ruffles? They are so redundant. Now the chi can flow smoothly under her bed as well. If she cleans under there of course. I'm not touching it.

So has the de-cluttering helped? I think it has. The house certainly looks better if nothing else. Hopefully, the chi will start flowing. And if it doesn't, at least tonight is Thursday which means cocktails. So if the de-cluttering doesn't get rid of my ennui (c'mon it's such a better word than angst) a gorgeous cosmo will have me singing Cole Porter tunes in no time! It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely...

Now, I've got you singing them too,