That Does Not Belong To You

Yesterday I challenged you to join the Laurel Plum Online Scavenger Hunt. I need to make a suggestion before we get started. If you have other people sharing your home with you, do not touch their stuff without permission.

Encourage them to do the scavenger hunt with you. Get them interested by seeing your progress. Just please, whatever you do, do not touch what does not belong to you.

So you are a newlywed under the impression that what is yours is theirs and vice-versa. Trust me, it is not that simple. You do not want him in your makeup drawer deciding that one lipstick, one eye shadow, or one bottle of fingernail polish is plenty and tossing the rest out without discussing it with you first. You do not want her in your tool box deciding that one screwdriver will do the job just as well as the next. So – do unto others…

If you are a parent to a toddler, you may have more luck, but not spending that morning when little Timmy or Tammy has an episode because they can’t find the toy you threw out last month may be worth trying to work with them first. (If you do decide to slip things out without them noticing, I suggest having a container or pillowcase to store the items out of sight, but within your easy access for a few months before completely removing it from the house.)

Let’s say you get the Laurel Plum Scavenger Hunt Challenge in your e-mail box at 9:00 a.m. on your day off and are ready to get started. The kids are in school and your significant other will not be home for at least 8 hours. Work the challenges or projects focusing solely on your things and in the spaces that have been deemed yours by full consensus. Then enjoy the rest of your day. Wait until they come home to enlist their participation or to ask permission before moving on to their things.

Living with a little extra clutter is not worth arguing with loved ones. It is just stuff.

Next week, I will introduce the basic systems I think everyone needs to have in place to make their lives easier. From then on Monday will be dedicated to the Laurel Plum Online Scavenger Hunt. Here is wishing everyone a great weekend!