Garage challenge update
Wow! The past month and a week has been crazy, thanks to the challenge I gave myself to organize the garage and get rid of a third of what was in there during the month of July. I have to say that it is looking a lot better.
I started at the beginning of July with a mess.
Boxes were everywhere. Shelving was on its side. There were items without a home. We had things we didn’t need. It was a mess. There was one very tiny path to get through the garage.
Over the past few weeks, I have organized, moved things around, gotten rid of stuff. Today, the garage has a place for the bikes and the car. Well, it almost has room for the car. I still have the “Table of Doom,” aka. the stuff I am dreading sorting through, to deal with. But on the whole, the place looks so much better. And I think I can find things better now. I am also minus a bunch of items that we no longer need. Along the way, I also did some much needed organizing in the house. Although not complete, I am happy with what I have done and the things I have let go of.
Over these weeks I have learned a few things.
- Letting go of things is a process and it takes time.
I have not wanted to let my children play with my childhood toys that I still have. That sentiment seems crazy to me because I saved those toys to share with my children. But sentimentality had gotten hold of me and I didn’t want them to hurt my toys. During this past week, as I was finishing up in the garage, I finally let my oldest daughter have some of the old toys. It felt good to see her excitement at the new toys and to know that someone will be playing with them. I realized that those toys were meant to be played with, not stuck in some box. If they break, they break. At least they will have broken because they were being played with.

- Getting rid of stuff feels good.
It feels really good knowing I let go of stuff that was holding me back and weighing me down. Something as simple as getting rid of old wash clothes we never use, was a huge step for me. I come from a background where you save things because you may need it one day. So to take that step and let those unused and unloved washcloths go was challenging and relieving. I am so glad I no longer have to deal with all those excess cloths we don’t need.
- I am susceptible to givers remorse.
I have had to battle the “Oh, I hope I don’t ever need that” feelings. What if I have a surprise child and I suddenly need the baby clothes I gave away? What if my kids decide they suddenly want to play with those toys I gave away? Feelings like that and more. While I hope neither one of those happen, I know that if they do, God will provide what I need at the proper time. Battling the feelings isn’t always easy, but I know with time that it will get easier.
- Being organized is nice.
It is so nice to walk out into the garage and know where things are. It is nice to have space and not have everything scattered everywhere.
Thank you for joining my organizational journey the past six weeks. Sharing with you has helped me to keep going and to grow.
Until next time…