Way back in March I decided it was time to tackle my oldest daughter's bin of artwork that has been accumulating for more than a decade. It's not a huge bin, I only keep select items, and everything is already separated by year so I thought it would be an easy rainy day project. I put the project on my To Do list, set up electronic reminders and gave myself a deadline of June 30.
So today is June 29 and I am just now accepting that it's not going to happen. It seemed simple – just pop the top and start sorting into Keep and Toss, right? Uh huh. Photograph the most beloved items for . . . something. A photo book maybe? Create an art gallery wall that changes each season? Yeah, right. Any one of these beautiful ideas: 21 Ways to Display Kids Artwork
So where did I go wrong? And what do I do now?
I admit I underestimated the chaos that comes with the end of the school year and the start of summer break. Again.
But mainly I wasn't emotionally ready to look back. My Peeper is now a tween and heading to middle school. I love looking at her scribbles, paintings, silly notes, and sculptures (I guess you could call them that) but I'm just not ready to process the bin and start a new one.
So what do I do now? Well, there's about an inch of space left for summertime doodles and creations so I'm setting new reminders and another deadline three months from now.
But most importantly I'm going to enlist my daughter in this endeavor. I know she will giggle and snort when unearthing the creations of her younger self. Organizing is always so much better – dare I say, fun! – if you have help from a friend, relative or professional organizer.
Getting organized isn't about perfection, but progress. I have to be motivated to move on and take on the project when I'm ready. Not when society or a random date on the calendar tells me I should be ready.
I think I can make a new memory out of these old memories. Wish me luck!
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