Did Someone Call Hoarders?

I am somewhat of a hoarder.  I come by it honestly though.  My grandma holds on to things too.  You never know when the thing that was in that box for all those years may come in handy.  Seriously.  I fight against that hoarding instinct at times.  Not often but sometimes.  I mean, you can get in my house and walk around without fear of towering piles of my precious collectibles falling on your head.  But behind these closets and closed doors…well, let’s just leave those things where they are.  I have a closet full of boxes that I did not unpack after my home renovation two years ago.  I have no clue what they contain, but I am not in a hurry to go through them and get rid of them.

I did do some in depth decluttering while I was on my unexpected three-month vacation that was provided by COVID-19.  I had plans to declutter my entire house, but binge-watching shows held more appeal many days.  While going cleaning out my bathroom cabinets, I stumbled across a face mask that I purchased some years ago.  I had nothing but time.  I figured I would let the face mask sit while watched one of the shows.

Did I mention that I have sensitive skin?  I try to act like I don’t quite often, and it always bites me in the rear.  Although I knew this about myself, I was throwing caution to the wind.  The mask smelled fine.  It was not runny or weird colored.  Surely, it would refresh and rejuvenate my skin.  The mask began to harden.  After the episode of the show was finished, I washed the mask off my face.  My skin was tight.  But not in a good way.  It felt tight in a “you are going to pay for this” kind of way.  I slapped some oil on my face and prayed to sweet baby Jesus that my gut feeling was wrong.

Child, I woke up so ugly in the face the next morning.  My skin was UPSET with me.  I looked like I had gotten into a battle with an eczema monster, and the eczema monster won.  Of course, Bible Study Mama noticed the next time that she saw me.  By this point, my skin was starting to level out.  She made sure that I knew just how crazy my skin appeared.  Then she fussed about me knowing that my skin is sensitive.  I suppose a mother’s fussing is never done.  I knew better, but I decided to give the mask a shot.  My mistake was written all over my face.  All because I was holding on to something that was long past its useful stage.

You know I have done that with people, relationships, and situationships.  I hold on, because I think that, given enough time, the situation will change.  Even though the connection has been holding on by a thread for years.  Even though I can no longer recall what bonded us together in the first place.  I leave them in the box in the closet with plans to sort it out one day.  Child, then the day comes.  I decide to get back involved.  Despite the small still voice reminding me of how precious I am.  I soldier forward.  I dive in and come out damaged.  Not dead, but definitely worse for the wear, and it’s written all over my face.  All because I was holding on to something that was long past it’s useful stage.

Let my life be a cautionary tale.  Stop holding on to issues, people, and material things that are not adding value to your life.  If you are not using it in a constructive way, let it go.  Or I’ll have to call Hoarders on you…and probably me too.  #wepreach