Decluttering one bite at a time

I’ll start with three basic concepts.

First, decide whether your primary goal is to organize or minimize your stuff. There is a difference. If you have too many objects in a drawer, organizing them into compartments may make them easier to find, but you’ll still have too many objects.

Second, don’t assign any moral value to your physical space. Or compare your home to your brother’s and sister’s — not that I would do that! So what if their homes could be in Better Homes and Gardens. Do I care! Well, maybe a little. Instead, focus on making your home warm and welcoming rather than picture-perfect: a place where you feel comfortable and can be yourself.

Third, it can be physically exhausting, so do it while you still have the strength and energy. It can be a nice alternative to going to the gym.

Now, here are a few nitty-gritty tips (Caution, pun ahead!) that I’ve picked up from sources I have since forgotten.

Go through your house, sorting everything into trash, treasure, and give-away piles. And you may want to create a special pile for everything your children have left behind! To decide what is important, I’ve been using two tests: Have I used it in the last two years? Can I replace the item quickly and inexpensively?

However, it can be hard to discard an item if there is an emotional attachment. For those situations, take pictures of what you want to remember but don’t want to keep. Or create a memory box for each family member.

Don’t rush. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” And make it fun. Play your favorite songs on the old Walkman you still have. Just don’t spend all your time dancing.

Okay, your home is now uncluttered. How do you keep it that way?

Connect future decluttering with something you already do. For example, after you do your weekly grocery shopping, take time to clean out your refrigerator and food pantry. If done on a regular basis, it shouldn’t take long.

Create limits of both size and number for everything you own. Then practice the one-in, one-out rule—which I can tell you is much easier if you don’t own an old three-story house.

And most importantly, make sure you have several good friends, so when you need that item you tossed away, you know where to borrow one.

Having too much stuff gets in the way of leading the lives we want. By decluttering, we free ourselves from the burden of managing stuff, allowing us to pursue activities we care about. And as a bonus, you just might find that item you have been searching for the last two years!

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Brain Tease: These are word challenges that boost verbal fluency and recall. And there are no wrong answers!

“Name as many animals as you can in one minute.” (This is common on cognitive assessments.)

“In 30 seconds, name as many musical instruments as you can.”

“Name things you might find in a kitchen that start with S.”

“Name 5 fruits that start with B.”

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In the 1961 Disney comedy “Absent-Minded Professor,” the name of the substance that Medfield College Professor Brainard accidentally discovers that gains energy when it strikes a hard surface was Flubber—a combination of “flying” and “rubber”. I received correct answers from Doug Nelson, Bruce Johnson, Shelley Hinatsu, Lana Tepfer, Kathy White, Dave Lutgens, Craig Terry, Eva Summers, Kin Birge, Rhonda Spies, and Pat Pettit who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket

And last week, while watching Walter Brennan in episodes of “The Real McCoys,” I missed Rebecca Abrams, Betty Pratt, Becky Podvent, and Tina Castanares.

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On Friday nights, I would often sit with my dad watching on our black-and-white television set, the Cavalcade of Sports’ Friday Night Fights which showcased famous boxers such as Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore, and Floyd Patterson.

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For this week’s “Remember When” question, what company was the sponsor of the Friday Night Fights that aired on NBC from 1946 through 1960? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with a tape of you singing the show’s jingle, “Look sharp! Feel sharp! Be sharp!”

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Well, it’s been another week, trying to follow through on my good intentions. Until we meet again, as Jimmy Buffett sang, “I’m growing older, but not up.”

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“Clutter is what happens to things when they become useless but friendly.”

— Russell Lynes

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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Wednesdays with music on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays; Dufur - Wednesdays at noon at 320 NE 2nd Street;

Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services at the Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County, call Senior Services (509-427-3990).