More About Me
How my past made me who I am
In the moment, we don’t always see how life circumstances shape us. Trauma, and the confusion that follows, obscure potential benefits until time and insight reveal the gift underneath the injury. Such is my experience. Born from a place of need, organizing and tidying became a necessary coping strategy and ultimately one of my greatest talents. The role my childhood played in developing this superpower is clear. And though I don’t enjoy advertising my past, my past laid the foundation for my gift and grew a tremendous reserve of empathy in me. I share it with you now because the mercies outweigh the shame.
My story begins as the product of unfit parents. Programs to uplift the needy and the public-school system saved my life. For this, I am deeply grateful. My childhood’s bitter turmoil scattered and fragmented me like shards of a broken dish. What can a child do to cope with the toxic shame of being unwanted, unloved, poor, and compunctious? Part of the answer was to take control of something, anything, where I could manifest measurable change.
I couldn’t transform much, but I could keep my room neat and clean. From the depths of cupboards and closets in our neglected home, I rescued the discarded, dust-covered treasures of a forsaken life. Their beauty reclaimed, their value revealed, a symbol of my worth. Caring for them as I did, I breathed life into a dream for a better future. Keeping them safe, making them useful, I found meaning in my own small way. In doing so, I saved what was good in my heart.
Today I feel like old bone china collecting dust, beautiful, but useless. I've been here so long, unrealized. People simply pass by, admiring through the glass... But they don’t touch me, they don't need me. What good am I when I serve no one? By Andrea Lee
What I can do for you
I value simplicity. The idea that less is more applies to our material possessions, but it also applies to our mental and emotional well-being. Letting go offers freedom, and that is invaluable. Understanding the path to transformation allows me to see opportunities to effect positive change. Breaking free from unhealthy ties in my own life helps me serve others with attachment issues. Loss may make one so uncomfortable that they avoid parting with things entirely. Avoidance coping responses exacerbate anxiety rather than alleviate it, effectively trading real long-term gains for a perceived short-term gain.
Our complex relationship with our possessions starts early and lasts a lifetime. The weight of all we own is literal and figurative. When we deeply possess the lessons and experiences of our lives, we need not cling to their material reminders because we become the material. The experience is alive in us, not in our belongings. Building decluttering skills at all stages of life fosters integration and resilience to change. As we age, letting go gets more challenging. My goal is to support people who seek change and always leave the places I touch better than I found them, making every situation better for my presence.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed our living environment was part of the subjective experience of ourselves. You deserve a living environment that makes you feel great. My work imparts an attention to detail and aesthetic that comforts and pleases. I deliver with a keen eye for design and 20 years of professional experience helping people. If you feel overwhelmed by stuff and desire transformational change in your life, I offer my services.