Cleaning the closet is never simply about cleaning the closet: there are always a lot of hidden motives behind such an act of bravery. And why did the idea of bravery come to mind at the end of the very first sentence. Perhaps it is the very act of avoiding such a task, day after day and month after month, and this after first hearing the call to get rid of those shirts that haven’t been worn for a year or two. And what about those sweaters that have been piled on top of one another since long before the pandemic, when a full time job required pressed shirts and nice sweaters.

We all remember the oft quoted advice, in relation to cleaning closets, that if you haven’t worn it for a year it is time to remove it from its hanger. Whatever “it” might be.

So, I recently filled up a garbage bag with those shirts and another bag with sweaters and took them to the Salvation Army and dropped them into that big box in front with donations written on it in big black letters. I wasn’t exactly floating, did I seem to feel a bit lighter as I jumped back into my truck and headed to the dry cleaners.

Yes Virginia, there is more to this story than what this surface introduction would seem to suggest.

Before I took to the closet, my wife gently reminded me that she had given me several merino wool sweaters that I might want to keep. They were expensive and light weight and well worth keeping.

I knew where the dry cleaners was located even though I think the last time I visited them was when Bush was president. My thought was that for a few bucks I could get them cleaned and folded and hung on hangers and they would be clean and ready if the sweater mood ever struck. I am happy to say that all five of them have a new home hanging in another closet and that I actually took one out of the bag and wore it for a few cold days.

But this story isn’t about cleaning the closet or finding a few sweaters to wear. It’s really more about getting a part of my life organized which is one of the strongest motives we have to do anything. After having spent years collecting stuff and living the “good” life, we approach a cross-roads of sorts which leads us to begin the process of lightening our load and getting things in order so that we can enjoy each day as it arrives.

When I was tasked many years ago to clean up my dads apartment after he died, I was overwhelmed by all the odd stuff he had stashed in every nook and cranny and drawer in his place. I sort of made the pronouncement at that point that I wouldn’t leave the same amount of junk for my kids to filter through when I depart. We all know that saying this is like saying that we will never complain about the traffic: it’s kind of a hollow threat.

Having said all that, I am in the process of bringing order to a little piece my world everyday. Today, in the basement, I dusted and cleaned an area with lots of computer cables and junk like that which will never be used again. My truck was half full of boxes and bags which are gone for good.

Now I have to figure out what to do with the hundred or so music cd’s that have been collecting dust for a few years. I don’t even own a CD player anymore, having taken most of that stuff to the habitat store a couple of years ago. It’s nice to have a Beatles, Dylan, and Pete Seeger collection, but knowing that it will probably never get played again, is a hard fact to wrap the head around.

I guess it is kind of like riding a bike. For several years, I rode my bike 50-75 miles every week and really enjoyed the road and the fellowship of riding in groups and by myself. Then, for some reason, that season seemed to end, but it was a couple of years later that I finally sold my bike, after coming to terms with that reality.

For many years, I listened to music all the time at work and in my car. Now I play my guitar or mandolin every day and sometimes listen to some piano music as I lay in bed before I fall asleep. Ear buds are a great invention for this.

And I guess that sums it up: we need to be brave and take those steps that bring us peace and happiness even though it means letting go of some things that have meant a lot to us.