I’m usually grateful. Sometimes I get distracted.

Last week, a good friend told me that she just organized ALL her cabinets,  and I completely lost it. Wait. The meltdown wasn’t so sudden. A few weeks back (right after Halloween), the same friend and I were talking about Christmas lists. That’s when my anxiety level started rising.

A den project has made my house (more) chaotic. Boxes of books, photo albums, picture frames, and gadgets have been stacked in my living room, garage, and basement since September. Instead of digging through the boxes for office supplies, I just run out to get more.

I am a minimalist’s nightmare.

Do the boxes really need to be unpacked? Can I just donate everything? Better yet, can everything just go in the garbage?

I lose sight of how really blessed I am when I have these conversations.

I’m working on 30 Days of Thanks to help me focus. It’s a simple daily reminder to give thanks. Here are my pictures on Instagram.

I am also working on the exercises from this book,  “Simpler: Declutter Your Life and Focus on What’s Most Important,” by Mike Burns.  What’s most important…to me?  Family and experiences are more important than managing all these boxes, books and stuff that I’ve accumulated. I have to do a better job focusing.

As Thanksgiving nears, I remind myself to be thankful for where I am right now. I am thankful for a house. I am thankful that I am still in good physical and mental health to clean up my junk . I am thankful for a supportive family that can adapt to the chaos. And, of course, I’m thankful for my readers who are with me on this journey.

Please share your tips on how you stay focused on what’s important to you.