Baby Socks

Kids grow fast. I mean, until they're two they'll outgrow their entire wardrobe every few months. That's a lot of clothes organizing for those of us who are, shall I say, organizationally challenged. I barely keep up. Side note: we're planning one more child (I'm a little crazy. Fine. A lot crazy) and part of what I'm excited about is getting rid of all the stored boy/girl clothes when we find out what gender it is.

All this brings me to baby socks. No matter what, there are always a few stray items that don't make it into the "bin" when I move one size out and one size in. And, inevitably, I find stray baby socks in random places. Then they get returned to the laundry. And I wash them. But I don't put them away, because they don't belong anymore, so they get put on a dresser, or left in the basket, to be washed again...you can see where I'm going with this.

The other day, I made a decision. No more baby socks. When I find a random little guy, guess what? I'm throwing it away. I can replace socks. They aren't expensive. Heck, last baby can have ALL NEW socks for all I care. It isn't worth it.

But it got me thinking. About writing (hang in with me here). Sometimes it is too easy to hang onto something that just doesn't belong anymore. A great description. A perfect scene. Even a character. But, the truth is, you don't need it. It's just getting recycled through the wash, over and over. And you know what? (I'll speak for myself here) my writing isn't so brilliant that I couldn't reproduce, probably better, any bit of description or scene I might delete and later want. But more likely, when I've cleaned out and shed the unwanted bits I find there's room for new thoughts and ideas, which make more sense and work better with how the story has evolved.

That's my first resolution this year guys.  No more baby socks. What's yours?