A Long Way From Zen

I started the room reclamation process, changing Carter’s office into my sewing room, a couple of days ago. The term “Carter’s office” is a major misnomer. It was the the room next to her tiny bedroom where we put her desk and it had all the leftover furniture from when it was Russ’ office. At first she used her desk, but then it became the repository for stuff. Then she used the closest in the office to put things and eventually the chairs became places to put clothes and it never really got better.
Since Carter was very limited in what she could take to Germany her rooms did not look like she was gone. They were basically still full. The hall outside her suite still had a mile high pile of shoes and the chairs still have sweaters from seventh grade and mis matched socks on them.  
Where was I to start in making a sewing room out of the office? I opened the double closet doors and decided that although it was full, nothing much in it had been used in years; all Carter’s eighth grade note books-full of a year’s worth of work, each with their own pencil pouch, three red roll-a-board suitcases, a dozen tiny baseball caps that would only fit small children, and the largest array of tote bags, back packs, quilted slumber party bags you could imagine.
I carefully unloaded the closet. Making the already cluttered room even worse. I lay all the bags out of the floor and texted Carter a photo asking her which ones she really wanted to keep. Thankfully she picked out less than 5% and said I could give away the rest. There must have been ten string backpacks from places she went as long as thirteen years ago.
I took all her shoes and boots that had taken over the hallway and put them in the closet in hanging shoe bags I happened to have. Progress. I unloaded the notebooks and put some novels on her shelves. Progress. But it is slow going.
I have not even attempted to tackle her desk or the three laundry baskets of clothes. No wonder I had to keep buying new laundry baskets, Carter was confiscating them rather than getting rid of old clothes.  
We have an old RCA TV in the office that I won as a prize when I was in my early twenties. It can’t get service and it must weigh fifty pounds. I can’t blame that on Carter. Russ and I discussed taking it and the five old TVs in the attic to recycling tomorrow. It is going to take me most of the weekend, but I am determined to get this job done and set up my sewing room.  
Carter was texting me tonight from Germany, so happy and loving her room and two roommates. She didn’t have to tell me this but she texted, “also, this is an “I told you so” moment for you, but having a nice room that is clean with fewer things is so calming.”
It is always nice to hear when your kid agrees with you after the fact. I hope she remembers that feeling because my cleaning out is just beginning. I am not going for just calming, but total zen.