The Ledger

By Patricia McClellan

Yesterday I accidentally knocked something off the nightstand beside my bed, which required me to pull it away from the wall.

The number of dust bunnies I uncovered suggested I wasn’t just neglecting my housekeeping—I was providing affordable housing for an entire extended family of rabbits.

I headed toward the kitchen to gather cleaning supplies. That’s when I spotted my coffee pot.

Apparently, somewhere deep in my subconscious, I had taken my grandmother’s advice that if you clean a coffee pot, you’ll ruin the taste of the coffee. Judging by the condition of mine, I’d taken that wisdom just a little too far.

Now, if you know me, you know I get distracted easier than a squirrel at a pecan festival.

Instead of cleaning behind the nightstand, I grabbed the coffee pot and coffee maker and scrubbed like I was getting paid by the hour. I didn’t stop until every removable part was sparkling. The nightstand, however, was still sitting in the middle of the bedroom waiting for me.

That little adventure got me thinking it might be time to tackle a few other neglected areas.

Like my closet for instance.  I’ve finally decided to part with the pre-baby-size 5 clothes I’ve faithfully carried from Georgia to Alabama to Texas and back. For 47 years those outfits have faithfully waited for the day I would fit back into them. Let’s just say that ship sailed.  I’ve decided their duty as my weight loss goal has been exhausted – they’ve earned retirement too.

Now that they are back in style, I’m sending them to the vintage clothing store where they can have a second life with a petite young thing who can still wear wedges without fear of falling and breaking a hip.

Retirement has taught me that cleaning isn’t really about dust bunnies, coffee pots, or overstuffed closets. Sometimes it’s about letting go of things we’ve carried around far longer than we should—whether it’s clutter, unrealistic expectations, or a pair of pants that haven’t fit since the Carter administration.

The funny thing is, once the coffee pot was clean, the coffee tasted just fine. And watching those old clothes leave the closet somehow made me feel lighter too. Perhaps they did help me lose some excess weight after all.

This season of life is teaching me that we don’t have to hold on to everything we’ve carried for years. Sometimes we just need to make room for what’s next.