Decluttering

 

Decluttering is very much on my mind.  It's not an easy matter. Over the years, we get attached to our stuff;  on the other hand, there comes a time, when we begin to realize that at a certain age,  and under  certain circumstances (such as living in a war zone or seismic zone that might involve evacuation,  lack of money  and food),  a minimalistic way of life would be more apropriate.

There's nothing at the moment, that has actually 'taken over' my home, and yet I feel the need to let many things go ( with or without regrets), and reorganize the freed space.  

There are lots of articles and online courses on the subject of Clutter,  yet I think it's mainly a personal and individual issue.

To my mind,  in order to succeed with decluttering, one has to make a thorough Plan and stick to it. First of all, for the time being, stop buying new stuff. Use up the old items even though they are not in their best shape. Secondly, evaluate  one by one, the various item Categories at your disposal: clothes, kitchenware, books, paperwork, furniture , suitcases/bags, sentimental memorabilia,  etc...

Well, from my own experience so far, I think it's easiest  'to dispose of'  and find decent Homes for  clothes and shoes. These  could be donated to individuals  as well as to second - hand  shops. Books are  hardest  'to dispose of'.  Not all books; fiction books are still very sought after as gifts and  means of escapism.  

Most of my books , however, are non-fiction:  guides, law books, biographies,  health books, encyclopedias - all in good condition.  I'll have to make up a list , decide what to keep . and the rest of it  try to place in libraries or even sell some, if possible.  Let's face it; we live in the world of computers.  and most of the knowledge is online. Besides, books  take up place and need periodical dusting. 

Anyhow, it takes time and patience to make the best of all worlds - my world, and the world of my stuff. 

clutter - AI generated picture

Estonia, Here We Come

My most traumatic childhood memories are related to the   overflowing, after heavy rains, of the local Baseu river -  (north-east Romania). It involved evacuation and being  cut off from supplies.

Since then, I've never lived  too close to a body of water.
In fact, I 'm not keen on living  close to any of Nature's major elements: forests , volcanoes , mountains, seas  - certainly not now, with all those ominous predictions following climate change.

Although things have somehow improved regarding warnings, Nature always seems to surprise us in the most devastating of ways. I feel deep sorrow for all those who experience evacuations and loss due to wildfires, hurricanes, tzunami, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, floods, etc..

They say, based on statistics, that so far, Estonia is one of the safest countries ( natural hazards considered). Next on the list are tiny Andorra, Bahrein, Qatar. Estonia and Andorra are in Europe; Qatar and Bahrein in Asia.

Estonia (blue spot) - between Finland, Latvia, and Russia

 I know very little about Estonia, but we  are all acquainted with the fact that Qatar and Bahrein sit on great petroleum deposits. As for Andorra, it has one of the highest life expectancy in the world. Besides, it attracts thousands of shoppers as  it's a duty  free zone. Lucky places!

Anyway, I've got a theory. It seems to me that natural disasters have greatly increased  in number and intensity since Globalization  has been accelerated (namely, during the last decades). Globalization is kind of a challenge on the God-created world order. It is not new, it started in the days of Columbus. Perhaps, if we withdraw from it, things will calm down. Worth a try, considering the alternative of getting swallowed by the oceans. 

When Harvey meets Rockport

We already know  by now that the climate is not going to have any mercy on us.  Actually, we've known that for at least two decades with natural disasters increasing in number and intensity.

We cannot control climate, but we can try control our actions and planning regarding the way  houses, roads, dems are built, and the way evacuation and rescue procedures are carried out.. There seems to be growing awareness in the world to the danger of earthquakes, fires, floodings, lava eruptions, and  all the other natural disasters. This awareness should be translated into some kind of action that doesn't leave us helpless in face of the elements.

Never heard of Rockport until now, so I looked it up on Google.There isn't much about it: a small city on the coast of Texas, with a beach , fishing piers, and a history of ship building, oil drilling and pirates. Now,after being hit by hurricane Harvey, people are returning heart- broken to ruins and debris. May God strenghten them and all the others in the state of Texas!

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