{"id":2657,"date":"2017-06-10T14:09:55","date_gmt":"2017-06-10T19:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lyndalambert.com\/walking-by-inner-vision-blog\/?p=2657"},"modified":"2017-06-10T14:09:55","modified_gmt":"2017-06-10T19:09:55","slug":"defeat-the-dragon-in-your-attic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/defeat-the-dragon-in-your-attic\/","title":{"rendered":"Defeat the Dragon in your Attic"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Six Steps to Defeating the Dragons in Your Attic<\/em><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Eventually,it happens<\/h2>\n

that we need to face our inner-dragons\u00a0&\u00a0purge them from our home.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

I began to recognize the\u00a0amount \u00a0of booty the Dragon brought into its lair. It bulges with mystery contents. In the darkness of secret places, the treasures await our attention like a dragon swimming in an underground lake. I can almost hear it singing with pleasure as it floats around the bundles of accumulated booty inside my attic.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAll mine,\u201d it proclaims, \u201cthis is all mine!\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I knew I needed to have a plan in place so I could make changes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My PLAN to Defeat the Greedy Dragon<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

STEP #1: Talk to the Dragon.<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Face it! You need to clean out your accumulated items.<\/p>\n

Speak to the Dragon about what you are about to do.<\/p>\n

I said it out loud, \u201cI am going to clean out this space, NOW! It cannot wait another year.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t look around for someone to blame for the clutter. What matters is that you have too much stuff and you need to move some of it out of your life.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait for anyone else to do this job. You are going to fix it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

STEP #2: Invade the Dragon\u2019s lair by stepping into the space where it dwells.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t think about the entire collection. Begin by looking at only one box and bring it out. Keep your thought centered on only one box at a time. Carry it out. One by one, you will bring each item out of the Dragon\u2019s secret, dark place and into a different room where you can sort through it later. Stay calm. Never mind the Dragon\u2019s urgent demands to \u201cLeave this stuff alone !\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last week, I opened the first door to the interior of an attic in my upstairs bathroom. I disregarded this hissing dragon that tried to convince me, \u201c You needed it all. You know you WANT to KEEP it all! It\u2019s all yours. You love it all!\u201d But I was determined to clean out my attics and closets this spring and summer. It cannot wait another year because I am too overwhelmed to even begin this daunting job. After four days of hauling objects out into the light of the other rooms in the upstairs, I began to feel pangs of anger. \u201cHow could I have waited ten years before taking charge of this little attic space?” I thought. I am no longer going to complain \u00a0and give excuses about how this collection of treasures filled my attic. Instead, I went to work and by just thinking about one box or one tote at a time, I got it all removed from the space<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step #3: Sort the Dragon\u2019s treasures into Piles.<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Begin by making 3 or four piles in another room or two. You will take each box or bag to one of the designated piles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I sorted, I took the object to one of the 4 piles I made in the living room and dining room. The piles are:<\/p>\n

_one for an upcoming rummage sale<\/p>\n

_one for donating to charity_<\/p>\n

_one for my yard sale next month<\/p>\n

_one for returning it to the attic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I must admit, I had help from my husband in getting this project completed. WE only had one argument during this job \u2013 and it was over an antique wash stand that he wanted to keep. After considering his passionate refusal to sell this chest, I decided it would be a great piece of furniture for my library if I replaced another table with this chest. It actually is a better choice. The table that\u00a0we took \u00a0out of the library did go into the attic but it is a great place to keep some objects that were on the floor. It looks good and I took a deep breath and felt pride in what we accomplished in only one week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keep in mind that cleaning out the attics and closets is like losing weight. You have to concentrate on just one small bit of progress at a time. Don\u2019t let your mind think about the immensity of the entire project.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My internal conversation went something like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cI will keep only a few of these towels. I\u2019ll decide which ones I really want. I\u2019ll keep all the pink towels and all the others will go to the rummage sale next week.\u201d Of course, the greedy dragon inside of me demanded that I keep every towel. I refused.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Immediately after you decide just what you will keep from the tote, take the remaining ones into a pile. Disregard your dragons, and tank nothing back from a pile once you have placed it there. Be firm in your intention to really clean out the clutter in your life.<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

STEP #4:\u00a0 Take a break.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

I took a week off from this project before I moved onto the next attic I wanted to attack.<\/p>\n

I needed to rest my body and most of all, my mind. It was overwhelming mentally, and strenuous physically. I needed to take a break to regroup to face yet another attic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yesterday, was Day 1 of my next Attic Attack This one is located in my bedroom.<\/p>\n

With the first one all cleaned out and behind me, I moved into the bedroom to begin again. I\u2019ll continue by following my 6 steps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Step #5:\u00a0 Sweep out the Dragon\u2019s empty lair.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now that you removed everything from the attic, begin to clean it from top to bottom.<\/p>\n

Yes, you will have dead bugs on the floor! And, yes, you will even have some \u201ccob webs\u201d to be swept up. Use your sweeper to get all walls, ceiling and floor cleaned up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After I do this, I go into the closet and give it a mist of Raid House and Garden spray. Close the door and keep it shut for about a day. Be\u00a0certain you won\u2019t be breathing in the fumes. If you have pets keep them away from this room.<\/p>\n

After spraying, open the door, and lit it all air out for a few hours or overnight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step #6: Bring your own treasures back to the attic<\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

You should now have only a small portion of the totes and bags you had before you started purging. I aimed to have only about 1\/5 of my items back in the closet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I achieve this by looking at only one collection at a time. For instance, I had an entire tote filled with my collection of Santa Clause figures dressed in green. I started this collection about 30 years ago. Each year, I brought out my cheery green Santas and had them on display throughout the house.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I asked myself if I really wanted to do this every year.<\/p>\n

The answer is \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

I took only the 6 figures that really meant something special to me. One belonged to my grandmother when I was a small child. One was my first green Santa gifted to me by a friend in the early 1990s. Another is a vintage chalk ware Santa gifted to me by my cousin who found it in an antiques shop last year.<\/p>\n

I chose a couple more; the stacking Santas I bought in Prague; a couple of hand painted ceramic Santa\u2019s that I really admire. All the others will be sold in my yard sale next month.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By culling out only my favorite Santas, I eliminated an entire tote from the attic.<\/p>\n

Just keep doing this elimination process with each collection you have. You will feel like you have really accomplished something terrific when you look in your newly cleaned out closet when you are finished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I opened the door to look at my newly clean attic, I realized there were no more dragons in there. What a good feeling it is!<\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

by Lynda McKinney Lambert<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright 2017. <\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Lynda McKinney Lambert. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Lynda \u00a0McKinney Lambert<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

.\"Front<\/p>\n

\n

Blogger:<\/h2>\n
Walking by Inner Vision Blog<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u00a0Author:<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage (Kota Press), 2002. View this book here!<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n

Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems, DLD Books, 2017\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
Visit Lynda\u2019s Author\u2019s Page<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Lynda is a Peer Adviser \u00a0<\/strong>and writes articles on sight loss and blindness for \u00a0Vision Aware Blog<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

CONTACT ME: riverwoman@zoominternet.net<\/h2>\n

Visit my Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact Me<\/a><\/p>\n

Author’s Page<\/a><\/p>\n

“Our truest life is when we are in our dreams – awake.” Henry David Thoreau<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t look around for someone to blame for the clutter. What matters is that you have too much stuff and you need to move some of it out of your life.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait for anyone else to do this job. You are going to fix it.<\/p>\n Continue reading →<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trusting-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4gbwn-GR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8593,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/march-madness-saturday-stopover-the-clutter-dragon-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":0},"title":"March Madness Saturday Stopover – The Clutter Dragon #2","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"March 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"March Madness\u00a0 &\u00a0 The Clutter Dragon Part 2 Saturday Stopover with Lynda McKinney Lambert With Spring on our horizon just one week away - \u00a0I dedicated TWO \u00a0weeks to organize & purge my multi -purpose room for Writing Art Management Yarn Storage Notice in the photo above - I purchased\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Week #2 - Defeating the Clutter Dragon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Office_1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Office_1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Office_1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Office_1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Office_1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17176,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/from-lyndas-journal-dragon-fly-spring-1998\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":1},"title":"Lynda\u2019s Journal ~ Poem – Dragon Fly ~ Spring 1998","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"April 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Lynda\u2019s Journal ~\u00a0 Dragon Fly ~ A Poem \u00a0 The Poem:\u00a0 Dragon Fly \u00a0 Winter dreams come to us in color- red-Velvet blue-Green gold. \u00a0 Memories merge with the ice and the heat of the cool winter sun. \u00a0 We drift in the stream awake and alive only to learn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#From Lynda's Journal"","block_context":{"text":"#From Lynda's Journal","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/from-lyndas-journal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2012_Creek_ViewFromBridge-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2012_Creek_ViewFromBridge-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2012_Creek_ViewFromBridge-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2012_Creek_ViewFromBridge-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2012_Creek_ViewFromBridge-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":157,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-new-collective\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":2},"title":"The New Collective","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"November 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u00a0 is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure ~ Joseph Campbell For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Luke 12:34 \u00a0 The Dragon\u2019s Healing Breastplate Mixed Media Fiber Art by Lynda\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DRagon_onDisplay2013.jpg?fit=983%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DRagon_onDisplay2013.jpg?fit=983%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DRagon_onDisplay2013.jpg?fit=983%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DRagon_onDisplay2013.jpg?fit=983%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6307,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-dragon-is-in-the-streets-dancing\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":3},"title":"The dragon is in the streets dancing…","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"January 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Chinese New Year - January 24, 2020. Pennsylvania author and artist, Lynda McKinney Lambert shares an excerpt from her story, \"The Dragon's Healing Breastplate,\" from her book _Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & oems_ In this story Lynda shares how she began to live a creative life after sudden sight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Front-Cover-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8474,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/march-madness-organizing-my-office\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":4},"title":"March Madness – Saturday Stopover – The Clutter Dragon #1","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"March 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"March Madness. With Winter nearly in the rear view mirror, I paused to have a look-around in my office. My office is a dual purpose roomn just one step down from our kitchen. It is private and it's perfect for my little get-a-way place where I can work on writing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yarn Storage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/DSC06979-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/DSC06979-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/DSC06979-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/DSC06979-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8627,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/cover-reveal-songs-for-the-pilgrimage\/","url_meta":{"origin":2657,"position":5},"title":"POP-UP ~ A Saturday SURPRISE – COVER REVEAL","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"March 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Pennsylvania author and artist, Lynda McKinney Lambert presents a COVER REVEAL today for her upcoming new book publication, Songs for the Pilgrimage. Lynda has been working on this brand new revised and expanded version of her first poublished book for the past two years. 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