Bearing Witness

For the past 20 years I have earned my living as a home organizer.  I am mostly retired.

From this vantage point, I can look back and marvel at the many people who have allowed me into their homes. Allowed me to see their “stuff”, taken me into their confidences and bloomed as they experience a complete lack of judgement on my part.

My only goal is to help people find relief from the stress of clutter, wherever it lives in their home. The only way to create lasting change is to work in partnership; discover their values, their learning style, and the barriers that prevent them from staying ‘on top of’ whatever troubles them.  Along the way, I weave in/teach a few simple principles.

Over the years, I have witnessed my client’s joy and pain. Their stories of relationships, children, animals, and catastrophes, to name a few.

There are two, of the many rewards which stand out for me. The first is to see the relief and lightness expressed by a client in her/his simplified space. (Yes, I helped organize many garages with men.)

The second and most tender reward is that I am privileged to bear witness to a person’s memories. As we sort through things to keep or donate, almost every “thing” has a story – a memory. Often, before the person can release the object, they need to tell the story of it.

This is the ‘bearing witness’ aspect of organizing. To listen, with complete attention to the speaker and the memory. It feels like a sacred privilege. I have had twenty years of such sweetness.