We watched the weather channel the entire week leading up to October 29, 2012. We prepared the best we could. We watched the trees bend and break all day long. We slept in our basements and prayed everyone we knew would be ok. The next morning we awoke to scenes we could not imagine. The word devastation does not cover it. The bay neighborhoods 2 miles from our house looked like something out of an apocalyptic movie. The shore area was unrecognizable to natives of our area.

We hunkered down, waited on gas lines, helped our neighbors, cut down trees, and listened as the reports came in throughout the region. We were the lucky ones. The reports were overwhelming. The pictures sad. The trips to the effected areas heart- wrenching. Families with no heat, food, water and in the end no homes.

Little by little the help started pouring in.  Local organizations put up tents, brought in food, and sent volunteers out into the streets. Power started to return due to the hundreds of out of state utility workers.  Little by little some “normalcy” came back.

But this is a long haul operation. Schools, houses and businesses have to be rebuilt. Families have to find other places to live, eat and work. They all are looking for a shred of  dignity and “normalcy”in this crazy aftermath.

When we sit down today at our Thanksgiving tables full of food in a heated cozy houses, please remember to give thanks for all that you and yours have been given this holiday. For those who are not as fortunate, please do something/anything in the next months to help ease their burden. We are all in this together…for the long haul.

Ironically, I find a similar thread when it comes to organizing. It is in complete contrast to the theme of the show. In fact, if I filmed my meeting with clients for the first time I would call it Shameful. The characters of my little drama include me, the helpful organizer and my client, who is buried under a world of shame. I can’t count the number of times a client has said to me, “I know this  (insert any space in your house) is pretty bad, right?”

Prior to beginning our work, most clients issue the standard disclaimers – “I should (insert any organizing process here) my room.”  Then the “shoulds” really start flying. ‘I should be more organized for my family”, “I should never have let it get this bad”, “I should file my papers more often”, “I should make more time for this.” The worst I heard was ” I should be a better person and get more organized” The shame and guilt that travels with a lack of organized systems can be daunting. It literally weighs people down. They look sad and depressed. They feel as if they have somehow let down themselves and those around them. It can be heart wrenching to watch.

There is no quick fix for the shame. I try to relieve my clients of the burden of their emotional albatross by focusing on their other positive attributes. I praise them for their efforts to get organized. What they have tried and how some of it is working. I try to inject some positive affirmation regarding their organizing attempts. And lastly, I let them vent. Vent about the pressure they have put upon themselves to be “perfectly organized”, about their spouses judgement of their lack of organization, or about a life event that has crippled them into a state of inaction. Not to sound too Dr. Phil here, but I actually held someone’s hand while they cried about their organizing situation.

In the end, we filter through their stuff, weed out the bad and preserve the good. And the same is true about their emotional baggage: filter though the tough stuff, weed out the bad and preserve the good. The shame dissipates as they regain control of their “stuff” and their lives.

Summers are not perfect. In fact, last year’s summer had some major bumps and misfires. From earthquakes to hurricanes it wasn’t the best summer on record for my family. But the summer of 2012 was really great. A fun family vacation of historic nature, plenty of time at the beach, dinners out and lots of downtime with my girls.

But alas, tomorrow is coming. Back to the bus, backpacks, school lunches, homework, cooking dinner (hope I remember how!) and getting up early (I really hope I can remember how!)

What is on my schedule for the fall? Getting back to the gym (see above: too many dinners out), composing my weekly schedule on Sunday’s and scheduling time with my clients to help them re-organize their spaces after a long summer holiday.

Pretty soon summer will be a distant memory. But just for today, I am holding on tightly to my great memories…and going out for dinner!

On a personal note, I am finally finished with the overhaul of my upstairs office. I have been unable to muster the energy to post anything new with this project hanging over my head. Renovations of any kind can really sap the life out of you. On the bright side I looooove the way it turned out. Very simple, not too costly and of course…organized! Enjoy!

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I am in the process of organizing a couple of spaces for a dear friend of mine. She and her husband are living in a condo vacated by her elderly parents.  My friend still owns a home in another location, but spends the majority of her time in the condo due to her husbands job.

It dawned on me while we have been sifting through her parents , her husbands and her stuff that she is deeply entrenched in a transitional period . We all go through these periods of transition. Births, deaths, new jobs, new houses, new relationships. The list goes on and on.

When we are in those transformative moments we tend to hold tightly our belongings. So many of our belongings represent a specific time or place on the timeline of our lives. We fear that letting go is somehow forgetting who we were or what we have accomplished. We are convinced it is our “stuff” that defines who we were and where we are going.  People use the phrase “it has sentimental value.” But in reality most of these items don’t have value, the memory associated with it does.

Contrary to our firmly held beliefs it is during these times we need to let go and shed our outer skin so we can start our next journey. We will always have our memories. But in order to begin the next chapter it is vital to breath in what once was then exhale it out into the universe. When we are finally released from the weight of our physical baggage, we can take the next step in whatever new adventure awaits us. Transformation complete…til next time.

Fast forward 40 years – is that possible? My brother-in-law Bob is in charge of our modern day Easter egg hunt. I’m not sure it is possible that two people could be more opposite than my grandmother and Bob. She, a staunch Democrat and him, a die hard Republican. She, a product of the Depression with a scarcity mentality and him a product of the “go-go 80′s” with a “more is better” mentality.

You can imagine Bob’s version of the Easter egg hunt. 6 kids, 100 eggs. Colored, plastic eggs stuffed with as much candy as they can hold. Not a surprise all the eggs are not found on Easter but eventually discovered at some point during the summer.  There are still bonus eggs, 3 of them with crisp $20 bills tucked inside. A far cry from our simple black and white holiday of the 70′s. 2012′s version is fully technicolor.

But some things never change. The kids rushing around trying to locate the eggs. The older kids helping the younger ones get their fair share. The mothers annoyed at the fathers for the plethora of grass stains due to the ‘best” hiding places. And the Easter egg hunt boss looking on in wonder and a little sadness as the kids get older every year.

Thanks to Uncle Bob and his never ending clipboard of fun, the tradition continues. Excess or not, I am sure it would make my grandmother happy.

To you and yours Happy Easter.

Even for a professional organizer garages can be daunting.  There are a lot of cumbersome and awkward shaped items taking up residence in most garages.

Following these steps can make it simpler:

1. Get a partner: In all organizing projects another set of hands helps plus it provides encouragement and reinforcement for any tough decisions.

2. Work in sections: As I said garages can be overwhelming.  Chunking it out into manageable sections can make the process easier and less intimidating. Start from one corner of the space and work your way around.

3. Give yourself manageable time segments: Due to the size of garages, setting out to finish in one afternoon may be setting yourself up for failure. Make a list of your sections, assign it a timeframe, schedule the time on calendar and come back to the project as scheduled.

4. Enlist a handyman: If you are lucky enough to know one, great. If not keep a list of items you need help constructing or hanging. Hire a handyman to come for a few hours get your list completed.

After all your hard work feel free to reward yourself by pulling your car into the garage!

Have you ever met one of your idols? 23 years ago I met Bruce Springsteen. The circumstances as to how I met him are unimportant. While most famous people often disappoint, Bruce did not. For those who are not Bruce fanatics you can exit here. But for those of us who waited patiently for every album release, concert ticket announcement (an exercise in relentlessly pressing redial on your corded phone for hours) and possible siting can understand my awe.

Yes, he was shorter than me (most people are). But otherwise he was exactly as you would imagine. Laid-back, scratchy vocals and very cool. Not an in-your-face kinda guy. Some one who hangs back and takes in the scene.  A regular guy who grew up in Jersey. But it was when he talked about his music I really understood what made him great. His focus was very clear. He simply said “I write music about my life..what I believe in.”

Even though I was a star struck 23 year old I always remember that moment. Especially, “what I believe in…” Sometimes when we get older it is hard to hold onto that philosophy. When responsibilities are great, kids are demanding, parents become dependent and life seems hard, what you believe in can seem distant or even impossible.

Flash forward 26 years. I have met Bruce on a couple of occasions now. He autographed a CD for my husbands 40th birthday, he worked out next to me at the gym and I sat next to him once at a local watering hole. He still has an aura of coolness that will never recede, although frankly his hair line has a bit. In spite of his age, this past week he put out his 20th album/CD. Clearly he still believes, so why not you and me?