T is for Tiresome

I’m working on some tiresome projects. A year ago, I cleared out the office I had seen clients in for the past 20 years. I left much of the furniture for the next occupant (with their permission), but I had some containers full of the usual desk miscellany as well as client records. I sorted through and stored the records and I just stuck the bags and boxes of office supplies, etc. on the floor of a closet for later. Later has arrived.

Back in December, BA had some health issues which prompted moving the main bedroom downstairs. That happened fairly quickly, with some of the weaving supplies in the new bedroom to be donated, and others stored, primarily in the upstairs “guest” bedroom, aka my home office or in the garage. With the bed out of the main bedroom, possible new uses of the space arise. My clothes have remained upstairs and I continue to use the attached bathroom. Relocating my desk and books into this room makes sense, leaving more space for storing weaving stuff, and making it easier for me to use my desk when we have guests. BA is very close to one of her sisters in law, and she’s visiting next week. Time to get a move on, literally.

So last week I moved my desk and bookcases and all that stuff down the hall. I cleaned my old work stuff out of the guest closet, and was able to stow the weaving gear in that closet. The guest room now looks like a guest room (its also where Ziggy spends his days curled up in his private chair getting his daily 20 (hours of rest). I have a decent arrangement now of my desk other furniture in its new location. Now I’m on to the tiresome stuff, sorting through office supplies, figuring out what to store where, and what can be moved on. Pens, pencils, scissors, paper clips and more paper clips, notepads, half-used notebooks, now empty file folders. Stuff. Highlighters and colored pencils.

What stays, what goes, and if it goes, where? All these questions for all these little things. The challenge of dealing with items that are useful, if partially used, and deciding what’s enough for here, and what I realistically will or will not use. Tiresome is the word. Sorting and resorting of stuff. And oh yes, I have more stuff from when I cleaned out my Dad’s desk nearly 3 years ago. Part of me wants to bin it all, and the rest of me is being encouraged to hang in there and do the project well and responsibly, minimizing waste. My temper is not the best during this sort of project. Carrying so many possibilities in my head, I tend to get irritable and impatient with any interruptions. It’s challenging to keep a sense of humor and perspective.

So I take breaks and write blog posts, do all manner of other chores, play a game on my phone, go for a walk, etc, etc. During my school years, when I had a paper to write or exam to study for, I’d clean my desk in preparation or procrastination. Now it’s the other way round. Instead of cleaning my desk, I write. And like all those long ago projects, this one will get done soon enough. Below, the new office in progress and the “sorting sink”

Written for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: T and the ragtag daily prompt of temper