It’s not a word I keep on the tip pf my tongue:
Regret.
Sure, there are things I have come to regret. Selling my 1000 shares of Apple Inc. stock in December 1997, when the price had fallen to 12 cents a share. It really looked like the price was going to keep falling.
When I looked last week, the price was, like, $215 a share.
But you can’t go through life regretting things. I thought about beginning this column with a long list of things I’ve come to regret, but what’s the point? Water over the dam, or under the bridge; take your pick. I prefer “under the bridge” because I don’t think dams are a good idea in the first place. But if the water goes over the dam, so be it.
Of course, out here in the American West, there’s not much water at all going over the dam. In fact, there’s not much water behind the dam these days. And that’s got people worried. At Lake Mead, the bathtub ring is showing more each day.
But that’s water politics for you. My more pressing concern at the moment is decluttering my bedroom.
If you saw my bedroom, you would understand.
With that in mind, I did a Google search for useful information about bedroom decluttering, and was provided a link to HomesAndGardens.com, where journalist Chiana Dickson had written an article, “Bedroom items you should never throw out – 6 pieces to keep to avoid decluttering regret.”
This sort of stopped me in my tracks. I had honestly never imagined that I would end up regretting my attempts to declutter my bedroom.
The things you will regret disposing of, if you declutter incorrectly, according to Ms. Dickson:
1. Sentimental Items
2. Clothes Hangers
3. Baskets and Bins
4. Timeless Clothing Basics
5. Laundry Baskets
6. Single Socks
I will admit, the idea of saving all my single socks to prevent future regrets, is something I would never have considered, had I not done my research.
Ms. Dickson wrote:
When going through clothes and dressers, it can be tempting to throw every mismatched item into a trash bag and call it a day. However, Lauren Saltman, a professional organizer, suggests this is the worst course of action:
“Create a bin and label it ‘single socks’. Each week as you find a sock widow, put it in the bin. At the end of the week when you’ve washed all your laundry, pull out the bin and see if you can match up any socks. Every few weeks, it will be time to empty the bin.”
When I think of all the single socks people have unnecessarily thrown away, I feel thankful that we have access, nowadays, to advice from professional organizers. Recognizing of course, that every few weeks, it will be time to empty the bin.
Most of the other suggestions fit right in with my basic decluttering approach. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown out a clothes hanger, unless it was broken.
Holding on to the laundry basket was an interesting idea. I don’t actually own a laundry basket. Instead, I have a corner of the bedroom where I throw my clothes when they need washing.
But the thing that really surprised me, doing this research, was the very idea that a person could possibly end up regretting their efforts to declutter their bedroom.
How many other things might a person regret?
To find out, I did a Search on the HomesAndGardens.com website, using the prompt “regret”… and was presented with no less than 30 articles addressing things you can regret when you decorate, or organize, you home. Lighting trends, for example. Bedroom organizers. Neglecting to buy a mini-fridge.
Apparently, in some cases, people have “deeply regretted” their renovation efforts.
For some reason — intuition? — I found myself wondering if this magazine were published in a foreign country. It just seemed so full of regrets, which is not something I typically find in American magazines. Sure enough, the editorial team backgrounds mentioned “University of Leeds” and “BBC” and “University of London” and “a 100-year old cottage in rural Hertfordshire”.
No wonder these people were feeling so much regret. They live in the wrong country.
And also, the name of the magazine.
“Homes & Gardens”.
The magazine I remember seeing at the grocery store is called “Better Homes & Gardens”. And it’s published right here in America.
So naturally, I checked out the Better Homes & Gardens website, and did a Search using the same prompt.
“regret”.
I found only four articles that had the word “regret” in the headline. And they were all about not regretting, and having no regrets. And “Did She Regret It?” No. She didn’t.
So I’ve put all my regretting aside, and I’m plowing ahead with decluttering my bedroom.
Vigorously.
And fearlessly.
Single socks? Into the trash they go.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.