Editor:
We’ve been playing slide puzzle with our belongings as we refresh our house.
One room’s contents end up lining the walls of neighbouring rooms for temporary storage.
While we were working on my empty office, my husband sneezed and nearly blew my eardrums out. My office is now back to normal and sounds are noticeably deadened.
Likewise the dining room, where all the contents had been double-stacked against the walls, now almost echos.
This reminds me of cluttered homes, homes in which you might consider the inhabitants to be hoarders.
I have noticed that so-called hoarders tend to be sweet, sensitive people. They may be smart too.
Deeply layering your walls with stuff makes a home noticeably quieter and certainly more peaceful.
I’m starting to feel differently about hoarding, which I think might be better termed “layering" or “blanketing."
Perhaps in 2021— as we hunker down and wait for that elusive thing we call normal life —we should forgo buying plastic bins or renting storage lockers and instead add a thick layer of comfy, muffling clutter to the lining of our cells.
Laura Thomas
