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I think this is a good example of the reason many people cannot clear their clutter.This cat was recently given to me by my mother. She said it belonged to her mother and that it was a “lucky cat” full of nickels.

When I brought it home I had absolutely no idea what to do with it, so it sat on a dresser for several months. Just today I decided it has to go down to the basement (yes, some old houses in Santa Cruz have basements).

One of the reasons for my procrastination in assigning it to the basement is the fact that as unattractive as it is, it is a family heirloom of sorts. It evidently had some meaning to my grandmother and it is full of nickels she collected.

When I pass on to the next realm, I would like my children to not just  toss it out like the junk it looks like it might be, but who has time to tell one’s children about every last thing they own? Not me, hence it has stayed in my house till I just can’t take it anymore.

I still don’t know how I will convey that it was my grandmother’s lucky cat without attaching some kind of note to it, which is what my mother spends a lot of time doing with her stuff. Maybe there should be a family book of semi-important notes for such things.

But the larger point is about clutter. Clutter clearing is all about making decisions in the moment regarding what to do with “stuff.” This is just an example of “semi-important stuff.” There is also “broken stuff waiting to get fixed,” “stuff I might be able to wear someday when I lose ‘x” amount of pounds,” “stuff I might read some day,” “stuff I might want to use to cook a special dish,” “stuff I need to take care of but not right now,” etc., etc.

Note: I orginally published this blog on Active Rain where someone pointed out that it was not a cat but a dog! Duh!

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In addition to being a Feng Shui Practitioner, I am also a Realtor. This combination of vocations puts quite a focus on the home.

I realized recently that when most people are getting ready to make a purchase, they have a general idea what features they like in a home, but it is a rare person who has taken the time to seriously think about what would make a house their special dream home.

I like where I currently live but decided to go ahead and do the exercise of figuring out the details of my particular dream house. “The answer” was not as easy and automatic as I thought it would be. I had to really consider exactly where I would like to live, first. I initially thought I would like a beach house . . . but upon further consideration I realized the country would suit me best.

This is interesting because just last year I thought I wanted to live in the city! It seemed like it would be fun to be within walking distance of theaters, restaurants and bookstores and I love the idea of urban design (turns out that I can satisfy that whim through reading design books).

I realized that above all else, I crave peace and quiet and therefore an ideal location for me would be a country parcel of at least an acre in size, preferably larger.

I don’t want to live way out in the boonies, so something not too far from town would be ideal.

I set up a property search for myself and 105 properties came up. I went through each property and none of them fit my aesthetic requirements . . . I want something that has warmth and coziness and interesting architectural details, but the house must be on a protected, yet SUNNY lot.

My ideal floor plan consists of a great room with a chef’s kitchen, because I have this fantasy of entertaining. I like Tuscan architecture at the moment (last year it was Craftsman and Victorian, which I still admire, but I am currently craving rounded stone walls, large rooms, and even modern designs, which I never would have thought was “my style”).

The above criteria might leave you shaking your head, but I now know exactly what I like and what I would want in a dream home, so I would be in a much better position to purchase something that was going to meet my psychological and spiritual needs, and that is an often missing piece in the home buying process.

Feng Shui challenges arise when the house is not working for you in ways that you might not be aware of. In my case, clutter accumulates because of lack of adequate room and storage.

When I purchased my cottage, I didn’t realize that this would be an issue. It is only through living in the house that I have become aware of the particular Feng Shui challenges of this home.

I purchased my house in the winter, so I didn’t even consider sun exposure . . . it never even occurred to me. It turns out the house has Northern exposure, which means shady yards. Come to think of it, I like a sunny back yard . . .

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Many Americans grew up with the TV always on, even during meal times. In many homes, the TV is background for life. People watch morning, dinner-time and late evening news shows, and fill their minds with horrible images right before they go to bed! And some people leave the TV on all night as company when they are sleeping!

During the day, many commuters listen to “talk radio.”

When my father was ill, I tried to get him to listen to classical music or something neutral instead of talk radio while he was falling asleep, but I never won that battle. Old habits die hard.

When you are in a sleep state, your brain is still receiving information . . . to hear people argue and talk about disturbing political situations cannot help a person’s health or outlook on life.

I think this is another learned habit that is helpful to take a look at.

To me, it is simply “garbage in, garbage out.” I think bad news can’t help but disturb you or effect you on some level.

I have found it freeing to experiment with other inputs . . . sometimes I like listening to music, or a CD lecture series on a subject I am interested in (usually psychology, sociology or something metaphysical).

I find when the TV is off, it gives me a chance to dream up my life in ways that are outside of the status quo - outside of “regular programming.”

I think the creative talents of many people are being sucked dry by the lure of the TV . . . every time I shut it off and do something, I am actually living my life, instead of merely “vegging out.” I think the desire to “veg out” is created by a desire for pleasure and also a response to stress.

I do have guilty TV pleasures - just recently my grandson and I spent hours watching TIVO’d episodes of “The Office,” a show we both enjoy at the moment, and that was a very nice way to bond and relax and spend some quality time together, but normally the TV is used to pacify and tune life out and becomes an automatic pilot way to “live.”

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I think it must be a survival skill that people get used to their own surroundings, and after a while can’t see various problems. I find that it’s always so much easier to see other people’s problem areas . . .

A case in point is my laundry room, which is in my wealth area . . . not a pretty sight at the moment. It seems to magnatize clutter. You would think I would automatically keep it spotless and pristine, but I fall into a trance and get swept up by time considerations just like everyone else and before I know it, that area is a disaster!

There are other areas in the Feng Shui Bagua of my home that tend to be persistent problem areas, and I find this is true of most people.

During a Feng Shui consultation, I will note client problem areas, and also ask which areas are the most difficult to keep clean and tidy. The areas that tend to attract clutter are those areas where you tend to see blockages or difficulties in your life.

Once you become aware of problem area tendencies, you can pay special attention to these areas and note corresponding positive changes in the areas of your life they represent. This simple awareness can be a powerful catalyst for changing bad habits, and thus effecting change in your life.

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I love a clean, orderly house. You would never know that if you visited my house on an early Saturday morning. By the end of the work week, my house always looks like a madperson trashed it. The effect is the cumulation of a week’s worth of not doing the little things that would have resulted in beauty and order.

In the kitchen, it is not putting away pots and pans, leaving random stuff on the countertops.

In the bathroom it is not putting bottles and grooming stuff away - everything is out where it was last used.

The dining room table must have some kind of invisible magnet attached to it that attracts any ole thing I don’t know what to do with at a given moment.

And my living room table is a mess of paper that needs sorting and filing.

I almost forgot the bedroom, which is too traumatic to think about with reading material and clothing everywhere.

Life takes a lot of organization and management. Keeping the environment organized and beautiful takes time and that is such a precious commodity.

I marvel at people who have a natural ability to keep their environment orderly. I imagine it is due to exceptionally good habits and super-effective time management. I keep having the best of intentions, and keep noticing that I have a unique ability to attract clutter.

I flatter myself by telling myself it is because I am a “creative type.” And I seem to have a lot of projects in various stages - “stuff I am going to take somewhere else” is a particular ongoing challenge I face.

But I do clean everything up and organize it once a week. Some people are not able to do that and I think of how chaotic and unhappy their lives must be.

I think the degree to which a person is conscious of their environment and the time and effort that is allocated to maintain it has a relationship to a person’s mental health and how well their life is working for them.

I know my mood immediately lightens when my home is restored to beauty and order. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everyone believe this simple Feng Shui truth.

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