Yearning to Break Free of the Clutter Around Me

Why I dream about light, airy spaces

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

Clutter! It's everywhere around me. I am at my desk typing away on my computer next to a bookshelf overflowing with books. Nearby, my dressing table is filled with little jars and pots of cream and all kinds of accouterments that I use for my face and body to look polished and put together on a daily basis.

I hate clutter but it surrounds me and I am not quite sure what I can do about it.

I am not a hoarder by any means. I am far from being an extreme case like that. However, I am not a neat freak either but I do keep tidy and clean as much as I can. Yet, I can’t seem to get rid of the clutter.

It’s not just any clutter — it’s personal clutter. The books overflowing on my bookshelves are old childhood favorites. The jars and pots of cream on my dressing table were bought with my hard-earned money. I can’t throw, hide or give away any of it.

Yet, I yearn to break free of the clutter around me. I dream of a large, airy, and open space with no bookshelves or tables overflowing with stuff.

I dream of empty space — the kind of space that is large enough to hold a ballroom. The type of space that can only be for the privileged few.

Space is indeed a hot commodity. I know that I must learn to live with my space even if it is not the space of my dreams.

It’s not just about the physical space. It’s also about mental space. Dreaming about light airy spaces enables me to declutter my mind and be at peace with my surroundings even if my bookshelves are overflowing and the tabletops are full.

The benefits of decluttering cannot be underestimated. Studies have shown that physical and mental clutter go together. Obviously, the logical solution would be to declutter my physical space in order to declutter my mind. However, in my case, it is just enough to dream about space.

I could declutter my physical space but I don’t have to — not if it gives me happiness to be surrounded by my old childhood memories. Not if it gives me an incentive to work harder to collect mementos of my life that I can leave behind.