What Hiking Taught Me About Organizing My Home
When I first moved out to Colorado, I started hiking. And, if you’re around the outdoorsy world long enough you see this phrase on signs or hear people talk about the concept of leaving no trace. This means that you pack out what you pack in and you don’t spoil the beauty around you. Leaving no trace means packing up our trash to bring back from the trail, or walking on the trail instead of stomping over new forest growth in the woods. It’s focused on letting the scene stay the way it is and being responsible with the space you have been given for that moment.
As I walk throughout my home, I’ve started to adopt this mindset too. No, my home isn’t some pristine Rocky Mountain trail, but there are areas in my home where I could do well to live out the concept of leaving no trace behind. What if my husband couldn’t tell that I had made my lunch from scratch when he got home from work? What if my husband couldn’t tell that he had hung out in the living room all afternoon watching the Broncos play? What if when a friend popped over, they couldn’t tell that I had had all my makeup out on the counter that morning while getting ready for the day?
All this leave no trace thing means for your home is that you pick up and put away all the things you use in the day and place them in their home. I’m not saying your home needs to look perfect all day long, but if it’s just as easy for me to hang my coat up instead of dropping on the counter, why shouldn’t I hang that coat up?
Now, as I say all this, you must know that I am THE WORST at this concept. I have stuff that I leave out all the time! But, the more and more I get in this mindset, the easier it is for me to do it. Little by little and day by day. I’m not shooting for perfection, just progress.