I have mice in my house. Rather – I have mice in my 550 square foot, top floor studio apartment-there’s a big difference.
They say that when you see a mouse, that means you have a bigger mouse problem than you think. And I’ve been seeing a mouse scurrying around my home nearly every other day for over a month. The mouse is my roommate now, and I’ve never liked having roommates. Not to mention that this roommate does not pay rent and eats my food.
I have traps set all over my small space, and although the mouse seems to enjoy making an appearance almost daily, I have yet to catch a dead one- neck snapped by one of my delicious peanut butter traps.
This new, uninvited roommate has lit a fire in me to deep clean and declutter, so I’ve been chipping away at the nooks and crannies. This has not been “enjoyable” per se, but the aftermath definitely is. I’ve cleaned out all my kitchen junk drawers, thrown away old shoes, and have many bags of donation-worthy clothes filling up the trunk and backseat of my car. It feels so fresh and clean to minimize the clutter that has accumulated over the last 5 years I’ve lived in my place. I still need to hit the living room and the bathroom, but I’m getting there.
I’m taking a little bit of a theater hiatus. Taking a much needed break after performing in shows back-to-back while working full time for the majority of 2024. It feels so wonderful to have weekends free, and to only focus on one thing at a time. To rest. But also – I’m not quite used to it yet-thus-filling my free time with the decluttering project. I’m trying to find a work-life balance, which I’m not sure I’ve ever had before, and it’s all very new to me.
I’m glad I have more time now to focus on clearing out my space (clearing out my mind, really), and more time to rest. But it’s also always something isn’t it? So. The mouse needs to go. Gus Gus needs to leave. So does Fievel, and Mickey and Minnie. They all need to get the F out. Thank you, army of mice, for spurring the de-cluttering project. But also – bye now. You’ve done your job. I’m on a roll and now I don’t need the added stress of cleaning up your droppings or spying you out of the corner of my eye when I’ve only just sat down to enjoy my iPad games and my 4th re-watch of Schitt’s Creek.