What Is Clutter? Part 1

I've been on "sabbatical" for the last year in order to declutter my mind, my body, my spirit, and my surroundings. With years of accumulated "stuff" as a result of traveling over several bumpy roads, there wasn't too much tread left on my tires. I was wearing out.

I'm still a work in progress, but several friends have asked how I've done it, am doing it. So I'm going to talk about clutter and decluttering for the next few posts.

What is clutter? Dictionaries give several definitions, including:

1. a confused multitude of things
2. state of disorder
3. untidy collection of objects
4. a condition of disorderliness or overcrowding
5. images on a screen that hinder observation
6. disorganized mess
7. scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.

Some interesting words similar to clutter include:

1. confusion--a mental state characterized by lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior
2. mare's nest--complicated or confused situation; a discovery at first thought to be important or valuable but subsequently found to be an illusion, a hoax, or valuelessa
3. cultch--(from 1913 Webster's) - definitions include rubbish, debris, refuse
4. junk--something of poor quality
5. litter--rubbish carelessly dropped or left about
6. stuff--fill completely, stuff

I was intrigued to see that the word clutter has its origin from the middle English word, clotteren, which means to clot.

Chew on this for now. More next time.

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3:8 (NAS)

What insights do you gain from the definitions above?