We moved into our new home . . . with so much to unpack. Ay caramba! My routine was lost. My annual planning book, my favorite gel pen, my writing journal – all MIA. I almost went Missing In Action. I could barely function. That’s when I learned that as much as I like adventure and new experiences, I am very dependent on minor details and routines. I had to laugh.

I suppose it’s really very good and very healthy to get knocked out of routine from time to time. It’s refreshing to let go of the old to make room for the new. Just adding new on top of old can lead to clutter, and clutter can lead to more clutter, and on and on it goes. Eventually, clutter can lead to inaction.

We’ve been here for a month now. I still can’t find everything, and our remaining boxes are stored away in the garage waiting for warmer weather for us to go through them. I’m okay with that. I’ve learned to make do with what I can find. The payoff is when I look around the house and see open space and clear countertops. Clutter-free. It feels refreshing and energizing. It makes me think that maybe every few years or so everyone should pack up their house to get ready to move, even if it’s only to move back into the house where they live now. Okay, that may be too drastic. But it could be a good idea to purge out what you wouldn’t take with you if you were to move. Let go of what doesn’t serve you. Yes, let go. Refresh. Let go and refresh.