MaryChristine.Me

“Horror Vacui” – – “Nature abhors a vacuum”

Aristotle was believed to have expressed the idea that nature has a tendency to fill up empty spaces or “Horror Vacui”. I couldn’t agree more.

At home and at work, I’m known to constantly declutter and then give away or discard loads of stuff: forgotten, unused, outdated, outgrown, worn out and excessive items. Many times, I do this to gain more space in my closet and room.

The space gained temporarily breathes new life into my room until it is filled almost as soon as it is cleared. Managing the clutter means emptying regularly and disposing off around the same number of new items that are brought home.

Back in our 3-bedroom condo in San Juan, decluttering was a twice yearly event. I had clothes that filled ten wardrobe cabinet doors in a walk – in closet. Some spilled over at the second boy’s room. I used to tell my friends back then that I had enough clothes to wear for a year without repeating an outfit.

When I moved to Cebu City a few years back, I was compelled to part ways with many things, in an effort to reduce my cargo bill. My belongings followed me home in a container truck that neighbors mistook for a liquor warehouse delivery. The precious clothes were in 20 balikbayan boxes. And that was already reduced.

All went well at wardrobe control for the first 3 years here. I made it a point to remove something from my cabinet for every new item brought in. There’s a church that I regularly visit to drop off boxes of preloved items (except my party outfits with the backless tops and sequined thingies which I tell my yaya to just hand over to the trash collector).

And then the online shopping bug hit me. Add to that my generous older sister’s seasonal clothing supply from the US. Clothes are now spilling everywhere I can place them. I can fill an entire room with clothes and shoes now.

These days, I devote a portion of my weekends to sorting, discarding, rearranging and folding clothes. Every time something is removed from my collection, two or three new ones almost immediately replace that singular item. It must be true. Nature does abhor a vacuum.

Today is a weekend. You know what I’ll be doing again later. Emptying and filling cabinets.