One thing I love about living in my in-law’s country house every summer is that I’m separated from much of my stuff–my shoes, clothes, books, photos, mail, and all those magazines piling up.
Possessions and clutter inhibit us all from feeling free, and distract us from our essence. As Marley’s ghost said to Ebenezer Scrooge, “Do you feel the weight of the chains you bear in life?”

Yeah, I certainly do. Not that I hate my things. I just hold on to too many of them.
But rejoice! I’ve found new resources for those who, like me, need hand-holding as we clean, and sound, sympathetic advice…though one of them is a new magazine that might land in the bedside pile (thankfully, it only comes out six times a year).
“Organize” magazine is the brainchild of a can-do woman profiled here. Here’s her website. Her slogan is terrific. It’s “You Are Not Your Stuff.” How true.
Tangible, daily help and wit are also available here, at the blog Unclutterer.com. Whether it’s medicine chest-clearing advice you need, or where to find attractive but inexpensive storage boxes, writers Jerry Brito, Erin Doland, and Matt Niemi will be there to help you develop your own de-cluttering missions. And you can laugh at your mess! One recent post contains this radical suggestion: “Go on, shave your head!” Hair maintenance, they say, causes us to accumulate all manner of objects–from sprays to blow dryers–that take up our valuable space!