Auld Lang Syne

Why do we feel compelled to clean and organize and make resolutions as one year comes to a calendar end and another begins? Is it just that “clean slate” feeling, where we tell ourselves NOW is the time to set new goals and propose new changes in our lives? Or what?

I mean, really now, why couldn’t we do this on ANY day of the year? Why do we wait for New Years? I am not really sure.

I have spent the better part of an hour cleaning my one teenaged son’s room: digging out a pile of shoes and video game cords and duffle bags and football shirts from his closet and stacking his books at least semi-neatly on a shelf. Old school papers and other detritus into the giant black garbage bag. Yesterday, I purchased a huge plastic tote, which was on sale at Target’s, and I am planning on placing all of his loose videos, DVDs, and CDs in it for him to sort through later as he wishes. I just cannot stand the piles of loose CDs and DVDs lying about, waiting to get scratched and stepped on and ruined. Why it is so difficult to keep these things in their cases is beyond me.

Why I am cleaning my son’s room – or at least straightening it out a bit so HE can clean it upon his return – is also beyond me. It somehow makes me feel productive or useful. I just feel this incredible urge to organize and throw shit out!

I need to tackle my older son’s room as well. He is getting a new bed, but I cannot possibly move a new bed in there until we clean all the old crap out. This past fall he and his friend lugged home several computer monitors, a hard drive, and other computer accessories from a local church yard sale. There was some talk about creating a “super computer,” but really I think the driving force was the fact that this crap was all free for the taking. It had been the end of the day at the yard sale, and, as my son described it, “the man was just giving computers away!”

Of course, he was: they are worthless junk and if he didn’t get rid of them, he would have to find a way to dispose of them himself.

Which now I must find! And I am finding it a bit more difficult than I first thought. I know you are not supposed to just throw an old computer out with the trash. That it has all sorts of toxic components with mercury and lithium and whatnot inside just waiting to pollute the landfills and taint the water and air of planet earth. Also, just because a computer has outlived its existence in one homestead does not mean it cannot find a home elsewhere, or at least be scavenged for parts. I am not so sure, however, about the usefulness of any of the computer components my son dragged home. He insists they all work, or at least turn on when you plug them in.

I scoured the phone book for a place that takes old, dead computers. With no luck. I tried calling the waste management company, but was on hold for so long I finally hung up with disgust. I mean, get real! How many phone calls can the waste management company possibly be getting? I turned to the Internet, but still was not having much luck. I found one place that said it recycles computers and sends them to Asia. Or sends them to Asia where they are then recycled. Or something. But when I tried the phone number, it was disconnected. Not a good sign. There was an email address associated with the site, so I tried that. Ended up it was the mother company located several states away. Not much help there.

Then I vaguely remembered someone at work telling me there was a Goodwill store on the far side of the city that sold used computers and parts. I googled Goodwill and finally found info on the store. It said you could donate your used computers at any local Goodwill store. That sounded too good to be true, but I called the store closest to me and, sure enough, they said I could bring my computers there.

Now, that sounds like a plan. I can have my son load all his rescued computer components into my car this weekend, and we can tote them down to Goodwill, where hopefully some computer guru will be able to at least salvage some parts from the lot and put them to good use. And if not, I at least hope they will know how to dispose of old computers properly.

Earlier in the week, I cleaned out all of my files and threw out a bunch of old paperwork. I sorted through some clothes, finally moved my summer clothes up to the attic, and weeded out some other clothes for the Saint Vincent de Paul box. I organized all of my children’s insurance forms and medical bills and receipts, so I can give copies to their father, under whose name their medical insurance falls. I organized my drawer of checks and checkbooks and registers and ordered new checks for one of my accounts.

I put my thousands of emails from the past year in alphabetical order by sender and then went through ruthlessly deleting every single one I possibly could. I know, I know, you are wondering why I didn’t just delete all of them, but some included new addresses and phone numbers for friends who have moved, others contained photos and attachments I want to keep or download, and still others account information or subscription renewals I might need to access.

I bought new socks and panty hose and bras for the new year. And a variety of storage totes that I think are going to help my life be more organized, or less cluttered. I hate clutter, and teenagers seem to create it wherever they go. I have this fantasy that if I box up stuff and no one notices it is gone for a year or so, then I should be able to just dump that box of stuff. Good riddance!

I am not sure why we are so partial to so much… stuff. I hate stuff. But I guess one man’s stuff is another man’s treasure. Or something. I think it is pretty much all stuff and the less we had of it the happier we would be. But it is also a pain and tiring to sort through stuff and then either organize it, move it elsewhere, or throw it out. I guess that is why we take advantage of things like the end of one year and the beginning of the next to muster the energy and gird our loins for massive cleaning and organizing and de-stuffifying.

When I went to the gym this morning, it was packed. I hate the gym and the swimming pool this time of year. They are overly crowded with people who have made New Year’s resolutions that they are going to work out this year. I think it’s great that people want to try to keep fit and get physical exercise, but most of these people are not very sincere. Their ranks thin out significantly by the second or third week in January and are not seen again until the next new year. If that many people were really going to seriously work out and get fit, just think of all the new gyms and swimming pools that could be built!

Out with the old, in with the new! A time for change. A time to renew.

Whatever.

I think I’m about ready to take a cup o’kindness yet.

Or even better, a right guid-willie waught!

Happy New Year and all the best in 2009.

Now, where did I put that large black trash bag…?