Some time ago I posted about cleaning out my basement office/man cave. I talked about the only thing left being the closet. Overtime it had become another collection point for all things unused, broken, unwanted, just things I didn't need anymore.
I had been putting this off for sometime because as you can see in the picture above, it is really a mess. That is just what you can see of the closet too. You see, it is underneath the stairs, so the closet extends further beneath the stairs to the left in the picture. This means there is more things probably not needed taking up space.
So out it came, every little bit of the crap. I discovered tons of old computer accessories and a few old laptops. There were cables out the rear end, and of course they were all tangled.
There might have been four to five boxes of old paperwork. This included tax returns and all my earnings statements from the early 90's. Don't ask me why I continued to hold onto such garbage for so long beyond it's usefulness.
What was kind of cool though is I found a large box of old t-shirts from various road races I had competed in and military units served with. There was even a VIP t-shirt for a strip club called Babes, but that is a story for another day.
Going through much of this brought back a great deal of memories. Some were very frustrating, like the old computer accessories leftover from a failed attempt at a computer repair business I tried to run out of our old home. But some memories were good, like, looking back at the shit pay I first received when in the military in the early 90's and how the wife and I managed to make it work, and thrive. Then some were, well, funny, like the Babes t-shirt.
However, there were somethings, that I decided needed to be kept for my boys. Like the eldest's letterman's jackets from his two high schools he attended and all his various European League soccer team jerseys. There were tools, picture albums, and old VCR tapes that need digitized.
I even found old letters I wrote the wife when I was away on deployment once. Those must never be read by the kids or grandkids if you know what I mean. Scripts for late night Cinemax could be written from that shit. Nuff said there.
Anyway, the closet is cleaned out, but now it sits in the main office/man cave space in seperate piles. One pile waiting to be disposed of, the other waiting to be saved and placed in the appropriate place in the house with like items for storage.
So what happens to the closet now?
Honestly I do not know. It is a blank canvas. I may use it as a radio bank once I get my ham radio setup going. It may end up getting a bookshelf built into it. I just do not know yet. I have cleaned out the things I didn't need anymore. I now have a room for what I will want or need.
Well, much like Eminem's song, I am doing the same every chance I get for my own head space as well. Maybe I don't take stock of my head space of clutter enough, because when I do, it seems my day and life is filled with "stuff" that is just not serving a purpose anymore.
For instance, I spend a good deal of time listening to varied political talking heads on TV from the right and left. Surprisingly my brain hasn't turned to complete mush yet. Honestly though, listening to these doesn't help me make a decision or change my mind on a topic. What does is research, reading, and communicating with other people with their own opinions and experiences.
I also spend a lot of time going down rabbit holes watching dumb shit like drunk idiots wrestling alligators. It is fun, entertaining, and makes me feel good that I have the right amount of chromosomes. But it doesn't help with the headspace and keeping room for the needed and wanted stuff.
The cool thing now is that I am starting to feel physically better. I am getting out more, doing more and that helps occupy my mind with more productive things like being creative. Creativity like fixing my garage door and repairing my leaf blower and chain saw.
I am hoping to start using this new found energy to be more productive here on the Hive blockchain as well. When not cleaning out my physical closet, and my headspace closet, I have been taking stock of my Hive closet. Over the course of the next week or so, I may be doing some cleaning up and orgaizing of my activities on Hive.
What that looks like yet, I don't know. There are a few ideas floating around. Setting goals, a schedule, pruning who I follow, etc. Who knows what it will entail, but I know that closet needs cleaned too.
Yep, another late night post that I hope makes f-ing sense. Time to make some more coffee all. In the mean time;
What do you do to keep your "closet" clean?
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Note: Image is my own taken with iPhone6S
50% of this post’s rewards goes to the @vetfunding account which supports veterans worldwide on Hive. Don't forget to invest in CAV token to help Veterans around the world get their needs met.
This post reached me (and helped me) on so many levels Joe. Its living proof that a post can have value far beyond the monetary upvotes it has. You know what's on the wall behind me? Next to my 3 x 5ft German flag, is the seabag I was given when I was in Navy bootcamp. Your hat sparked that memory. :)
It reminded me of why I joined the military in the first place. Out of pure patriotism and love of country. A willingness to serve and give back to a country that has given so much to me.
I think I met you when I was doing my 500 Comment Challenge on LeoFinance? I gave myself 30 days to write 500 comments on LF, and it was a blast. There I met some wonderful people such as you and Vincent. It's been an honor to know you, as seeing you bravely work through the your own life's challenges inspires me as well.
It's incredible what a well-written post can do to those who've read it, and this one will cause me to take a look at my own literal and virtual closets. I'll repurpose things I don't need and create a whole new space going forward. From one veteran to another; thanks for sharing this insightful post. :)
oh wow, I remember your 500 comment challenge now. What an achievement.
I just don't know what to say about the compliment. I was just telling @tarazkp the other day on one of his posts that I hope at least someone might eventually get value out of what I post. This thoughtful comment means alot and comes at a good time.
Best wishes in your closet cleaning friend.
Thank you, Joe
My garage attic has been deemed an archeological site by my standards.
I understand. Just this closet could have been a time capsule for the 1990s through early 2000s on its own.
When my grandpa came back from WWII, he and grandma burnt all their letters one night. Grandpa always said they were way too steamy to ever be read by anyone else.
Yep, I understand completely and not sure why we haven't already done that. I think we may wait for a night when the youngest is out and sit around the fire pit and do the same as we read some of them again.
Glad you're feeling a bit better! I hate digging through old storage, I always end up with more extra projects to deal with (like tapes to be digitized, old electronics to dispose of....) Good that you're getting the old head space cleared out too, every now and again that's not a bad thing.
Every now and again it's entertaining to watch the drunk morons wrestle alligators though!
and play gunfighters with fireworks and other amazingly stupid stuff.
We have a closet like that under our stairs too. Most of the stuff in it is our Christmas stuff. I hate having to crawl in there and get stuff out every year. We ended up putting everything up on crates to keep it safe in case our basement ever flooded again. I hear you about all the old computer parts. I have boxes of cables and components at home!
We hava full basement so the seasonal decorations are in another room. They are in plastic totes for the same reason you have yours on crates. Yeah, the old computer stuff is just dumb, not sure why I kept some of it.
There is always computer stuff when you are cleaning out the junk eh! And you always think, why the F have I kept this??
Yes, it is ridiculous because most of it is broken. I think I kept the laptops for possible repair and donation if I recall. The cables, some may be good and some bad. I don't have the patience to untangle and check all of them. May check with the local schools to see if they need some of them and they can check😀.
I always think spare parts when I am keeping stuff like that and then being computers and obsolescence kicking in even the cables are often good for nothing later! Although printer cables never seem to go out of fashion!
Printers!!!! The spawn of Satan they are.
Lol, this was a fun read, but I suppose it was as fun for you when you had to clean the place and sort things out. Good thing it is done now and even better news, that you're feeling better and have more energy. Use it to rebuild yourself and keep a healthy balance.
Good thing about not having much space is that you don't save up a lot of stuff you don't need, but I still have to clean my wardrobe, select my clothes and see what I don't need. Time to do it.
It was fun going through some of the stuff. It brought back some memories of events and people I had not thought of in a long while. Currently I am pacing myself well and not doing tooo much in one go.
I probably should go through my wardrobe as well. Now that I no longer go to an office or job site everyday I have no need for most of the clothes I have. Seems like I wear the same stuff over and over again. I am a simple person and not very high maintenance when it comes to clothes.
That closet looks very similar to my basement storage as well. I often don't clean it out for very similar reasons: holy fuck, where do I even start? I've considered getting a dumpster, some gas, and a match. Just So Much Stuff. How did I ever get it all to begin with, anyway?
That is what I said about mine and why it was put off for so long. I feel you.
Methinks that lid would have been stored a little differently back in the day.
It would have been. That was a backup though. The youngest used to wear it around when he was a little booger. I might keep it for a grandkid if one ever pops into the picture someday. The good one is still stowed away with the uniform in another closet, squared away and ready for action. Action meaning my funeral :-)
Ah ok, I thought that might be the case, the good one being stored.
Yep, I hear you, one must be appropriately dressed for a formal occasion. It'll remain stowed for a little while yet though huh?
It is my intent to be around a while longer yes. Then again a meteor might hit my house while sleeping tomorrow. Someone I know likes to say "tomorrow isn't promised". You may know him.
Lol...yeah, that guy...he's a nutbag! 😁
It's true though right? One never knows which day is the last.
Nope you sure don't know. Life is funny sometimes. I had an Uncle who lived to be about 75, but he lived life like crazy and should have died when he was young. Had a heart defect from birth, drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, at fatty food, etc. Then there are people half his age in great health kicking the bucket.
By the way, just out of curiosity, took a look at the old dress uniform in the closet and no cover. I be damned if the back up may become the primary after all. Glad it is not in too bad of shape.
Have a great one!
Oh no...well the good thing is there's a backup. One must have their lid!
It's funny that sometimes those that probably shouldn't live longer and sometimes those who look after themselves die early. Weird.
I'm not sure if you heard, three Marines were killed in Darwin, Australia in a V-22 Osprey crash recently, one a Major. Twenty others in the aircraft survived the crash fortunately. Sad really. Investigations ensue. Google will fill you in.
I just remember the closet that Eminem sang. lol hope I can clean my closet this week
I think it is good to keep both closets clean :-) Thanks for stopping by reading and commenting.
You received an upvote of 94% from Precious the Silver Mermaid!
Please remember to contribute great content to the #SilverGoldStackers tag to create another Precious Gem.
Congratulations @coinjoe! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 14000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out our last posts: