On a dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark house.
In the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark basement.
In the dark, dark basement, there was a dark, dark room…
And in that dark, dark room there was…
A drumset, a couch buried under 7000 rolls of wrapping paper, all of my children’s artwork and report cards and other treasures from the past 16 years, 5896 pipe cleaners, a walrus-sized box full of ribbon, random Valentine’s decor, 283 picture frames, 200 spare D batteries, 50 tissue poms from birthdays past, a garbage bag full of plastic tablecloths, and an organ we inherited from a 100-year-old stranger…among
other things.
This is why it is dubbed, my “room of shame”.
Now before you go and start thinking I must be a hoarder, I want to paint the full picture.
The rest of my house is organized, tidy, and clean.
(Well, ok, as clean as it can be with 2 Bernese Mountain dogs running around and endless streams of teenagers rummaging through the pantry, applying grip tape on skateboards on the counter, and endlessly making smoothies.)
I like everything to have a home, and to be put back into its home after use.
I regularly clean out and donate things we no longer need.
And I have been trying, lately especially, to focus on bringing into my home only things I love…
So as not to be simply filling space with more stuff.
So how is it then, that I have the aforementioned “room of shame”, you ask?
It all started with a series of back-to-back events I was in charge of.
I ended up with decor, and other remnants that needed a home…
But instead of taking the time to find them a home,
I stacked them on the couch.
I was too busy to deal with it all then.
I fully intended to put them away later.
That was 3 years ago.
Since then, more and more and more things have been put on that couch…
And on the floor around the couch…
And in the corner behind the door…
And pretty soon…
Yep.
“Room of Shame.”
This is much like what happens when we neglect to manage our minds.
We have emotional pain we don’t want to investigate.
We feel unexplained anxiety.
We are bothered by something someone said to us.
We worry what others think of us.
We are overwhelmed.
We are angry and we don’t know why.
But instead of taking the time to find the thoughts creating these feelings…
And do the work to put them away…
We stack them on the couch,
And the floor,
And in the corner,
And we end up with a brain full of shame and doubt and resentment.
I recently purchased storage tubs to turn my “room of shame” into an organized space full of useful things that are clearly labeled and easy to find.
It will take some serious time and dedication.
It will be an ongoing project as things are used,
No longer needed,
And replaced.
But I have the tools and resources to get it done.
And the willingness to get started…
One roll of wrapping paper at a time.
The same applies to managing our minds…
It all begins with a thought!
