When Piles Disappear – Everyday Joy in Order and Relief

Read this post in Swedish → När högarna försvinner – om lättnad, ordning och vardagsglädje

Preface

Hello and a warm welcome, both to those of you visiting for the first time and to those who return again and again!
I am always both surprised and happy to see readers from all over the world – from Ireland, the USA, and so many places I hardly dared to dream of.
Imagine that my small corner of Sweden can reach your heart across the globe.

Thank you, most humbly, for reading here with me.
It means more than you know.

When Piles Come to Life

Today I want to write about something completely different than international readers – those piles we all gather at home.

I have one of those piles.
It started with a printer.
The printer and I already had a shaky relationship, and eventually my husband grew tired of hearing me talk to it.
He said he knew where to find one of those new machines that actually worked.

Although I muttered that the old one wasn’t that old, and that it had been expensive enough that it should work, we went to NetOnNet and bought a new printer.
The old printer ended up in the basement, right on the floor.
We were going to throw it away “later.”

The Kitchen Faucet in LVL²

Then, as always, more things joined the pile.
In the spring, when we took our motorhome LVL² out, the kitchen faucet broke.
We bought a new one, and the broken faucet also moved to the basement.
Not a big pile yet – but still, a pile.

Broken Pots and Forgotten Things

Last year we bought a new battery for our motorhome.
The old one got a spot in the garden, waiting for recycling.
And that plastic box where I tried to grow leeks?
The sun cracked it, and it stayed where it was.

Broken pots, an old garden stool, and everything else slowly joined the pile.
Eventually, when we walked past, it felt almost alive.

My husband thought it looked sad when you came down the street and saw our pile of junk.
So we moved it to the other side of the patio, so it wouldn’t be as visible.

From Pile to Relief

Yesterday, the recycling station in the village was open.
It rained heavily.
The pile stayed put, and I gave up hope that we would ever deal with it.

However, today a small miracle happened.
My husband said:

“Let’s take care of this now.”

At first, I wasn’t very eager.
However, because he had the energy, I didn’t want to be the one to hold back.

First, we took the usual recycling: milk cartons, plastic, and glass.
Then, the plastic pots went, along with my broken garden chair.
After that, the printer went to Elgiganten’s electronics recycling, and the faucet joined the scrap metal.
Finally, since we were in Uddevalla anyway, we returned our summer cans and bottles – two large bags, which gave us 230 kronor back.

The Joy of Order and Lightness

When we came home again, it was as if the air was lighter.
The pile was gone.
The garden felt bigger.
And I got such an energy boost that I took out the grass trimmer and tidied all the edges where the pile had been.

The grass that had grown around the pile was trimmed away – as if it had never existed.
My husband heard me from the basement, came up, and mowed the lawn.
Even Lillfia caught the feeling and asked if she could help.

Reflection: Why Do We Always Wait?

Now I’m sitting under the pavilion, writing.
My body feels lighter, and so does my mind.
And yet, I wonder:
Why do we always wait until “later”?

For me, it looks like this:

First, I say, “We’ll do it later.”
Then, the pile grows.
Then comes the shame and the quiet anxiety.
Finally, we do it – and then it feels like Christmas morning.

There is a certain reward in that final feeling – the relief and the energy when it’s all done.
But I don’t know if it’s worth all the quiet nagging before.
Maybe that’s just how life works sometimes.
And maybe, I’m not the only one.

Between the Lines – My Voice

Between the lines, this isn’t just about trash or a pile in the garden.
It’s about holding on to things – and feelings – longer than we need to,
and about the freedom that comes when we finally let go.

I write this to remind myself – and maybe you – that it is in the small actions that the greatest relief and joy can be found.
When the pile is gone, life feels a little bigger.

Questions for You

Do you also have a pile waiting for attention?
How does it feel when you finally finish something you’ve postponed for too long?
Do you think the relief is stronger because we waited too long?

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Live today, right now.
Yesterday is among the memories of old piles, and tomorrow waits in the distance.
Maybe new piles will come – but it all depends on what we do in the present.
Right now is where life unfolds and where we can finally breathe. – Carina Ikonen Nilsson

AHA – Between the Lines

Behind this story of a disappearing pile lives a lesson about life itself.
It is about the weight of what we hold on to, and the unexpected freedom that comes when we let go – of things, of clutter, and sometimes of the emotions that keep us stuck.
I share this because life is often lighter than we dare to believe,
and because even a cleared pile can make room for new energy, hope, and a deep breath in the present moment.

Hashtags:
#EverydayJoy #OrderAndCalm #PilesGone #Decluttering #Relief #SimpleLiving #LiveHereAndNow #EverydayReflections #GardenLife

order and everyday joy