Planning

It's little things that add up. For instance, one little e-newsletter. You order something online or create a new account and all of a sudden you are getting yet another e-newsletter. And you think for a long time that because it's email, it's somehow not real. Well, it's real, but it's not a thing, physically. Right? So if it's not a thing, it can't be clutter.

Alas, virtual things in virtual spaces still take up very real space.

So, as I'm wrapping up my life in Chicago, I'm streamlining. All those .edu email accounts are going to be obsolete soon, so I want to lead everyone back to my hotmail account. I've had it for years, so why not? But I've let those e-newsletter things run amok in my account, and I get at least a half dozen alerts of some sort every day.

These items, despite their "e-" ethereality, still require the same mental energy to cope with as the paper catalogs in my snail-mail box. So I'm cutting them out! And as I cut the clutter, I can see this forest a little clearer now. But it's not just the virtual forest. Clearing the clutter and junk in one places produces a ripple-effect in my space. It's starting to clear.

And then there is the shopping. I've been on a bit of a kick, buying everything from suits to tanktops. I had a list of staples and I'm attacking it. I have attacked it. It's done. For now. But with the clarity comes a better idea of the things I need, so there it is.

The last thing is selling my place. Pats and I have airline tickets for May 18-21 to visit RI and bring the cats with us. The rest is up in the air, depending on whether or not I get the Kaplan job. At this point, the condo is not actually on the market yet. I found someone who might be interested, so I want to follow up on that first. And, to be honest, I need a break from the stress of getting this place prepared. I have two full weeks left of school before finals week, an independent study to pull off, and a trip to RI with the cats which will be no small feat. I'm okay with taking my time, but at the same time don't want to wait too long and miss out on something.

Deep breath. I must remember that not everything can be planned. At least not at once.