I have been meaning to organize my crawlspace for a while six years. Everything DadaWise and I have owned that I have not been able to part with is thrown under there. Bills from 2004 still lurk under there and every single piece of paper my sons made a simple mark on is under there too. Clothing that hasn’t fit me, nor has been in style, since 1999 is there. I have more toys piled up than my children should have ever owned. I have bags of stuff labeled “ebay” or “donate” but it all just sits there. It’s a semi-organized chaos, meaning that I can pretty much find everything I am looking for, but with my mobility issues I have trouble climbing over piles of stuff to reach it most of the time. This is why today I am under the crawlspace starting from the entrance and slowly, but with determination, working my way through the jungle.

Above ground, you’d never think of me as a hoarder. But I do have OCD. I cannot stand trash on the counters, laundry on the floor, wet towels on the furniture, and dirty dishes in the sink. I am a list writer and checker of doors at night. It’s funny though, because sometimes I do not have the stamina to have OCD – it’s too much work and my body and brain shut down. But below ground I am an OCD hoarder because that’s really easy to do.

Regardless, I try to keep up with my housework, especially in the main living areas, but in that crawlspace you’d swear you were on the set of Hoarders: Buried Alive. I keep everything. And now it’s time to start fresh and let most of it go. I need organization back in my life.

I’m just lucky I don’t have a full basement because I would really be in trouble right now!