My old and wise friend, Russell Vogen, used to tell me that he subscribed to many magazines because, "Even if I only get one good idea out of a magazine, it's worth the price of the subscription." This morning I picked up a magazine I have just subscribed to again after many years (Country Living) and proved Russell right once more. This time it wasn't a good idea but a quote that I found totally liberating:
"Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is an intimate view that is not always perfect - a few dishes in the sink, books piled next to the bed. Everything in its place may give a certain satisfaction, but a lived-in room exudes comfort and warmth." Mary Randolph Carter, author of A Perfectly Kept House Is the Sign of a Misspent Life
Many years ago we visited the home of a couple from our church. They have a lovely home in the country and I was incredibly impressed by the lack of clutter in their house. No matter where I looked I couldn't find anything out of place. I thought shamefully of my house with the aspirin bottle on the kitchen shelf, the dog collar on the counter which was waiting for me to fix the buckle and the reminder to renew the newspaper subscription stuck behind the picture frame where I'd be sure to see it several times a day. I asked myself, "Where would an excellent homemaker store her sheep wormer???" (No,no, I hear you thinking: "It belongs in the barn!" but it would freeze there and that won't do!) Or what about that sheared-off bolt that is waiting for the next trip to town so it can be replaced at the ag store? I often longed to have everything in its place but in a small house with a busy family and a plethora of animals and machines dedicated to the upkeep of everything there seemed never to be enough dedicated places for stuff. It was a dilemma I never seemed to solve and I always felt more than a little inferior to the women who did manage to keep things uncluttered. I do like a clean house and I find excess clutter oppressing but a busy life seems to generate a certain amount of things that are "on the way" here or there. It was very freeing for me to see that someone has actually written a book (which costs $55 no less!) about the topic. Man, I should have written that book.
We're getting ready for a move and at that time one becomes acutely aware of the clutter, purging with a fury and vowing to "never let this amount of stuff accumulate again!" Vain resolution. There are myriad ways of misspending our lives and keeping a perfect house won't be the problem for me. But now I'll just think of that clutter as poetry. What a lovely thought. And definitely worth the price of the subscription.
