No matter how hard I try to stay on top of the situation, my upstairs wardrobe closet remains perpetually full of stuff. Beyond clothes, all types of things cell divide and grow inside this linen storage/incubator. Cell phone accessories, old newspapers, empty shoe boxes, and dusty exercise equipment represent the smallest sample of what peaks thru the folds of my modest wardrobe.

Each weekend I pledge to organize. The non-complaining, make-a-better-suggestion husband whines for me to “merge and purge.” When it comes to this struggle of turning chaos into categories, I see glimpses of my mother in me. My mother historically struggled with the growth of clutter.

Does this make her or me a bad person? Am I trying to signal to the world that I have something messy in the closet of my life that needs to be cleaned up? Perhaps my inner being cries out for therapy (or Mario Tricoci spa treatments and a call to Merry Maids). Maybe this circumstance symbolizes a silent plea to become the guest star of HGTV’s “Mission: Organization.”

Many feel that one can not prepare themselves for new blessings until they let go of the old blessings. Indeed, some of us certainly need less of some things in our lives and more of others. While I clean out my closet, feel free to contemplate if you are one of those individuals who needs more or less.

More love…Less hate…More “Ugly Betty”…Less pretty petty.

More Mother Teresa and MLK…Less Britney and O.J.

More Roosevelt Road…Less Madison Street.

More Sunday values displayed through the whole week.

Less blame for the children…More accountability from the parents.

Less cell phones for teenagers…More communication with our teenagers.

Less FaceBook…More face time…Less MySpace…More our space.

Less Hillary or Obama…More Hillary and Obama.

Less 50 Cent…More common sense (ask your kids).

More free parking…Less vacant, abandoned gas stations.

More volunteers…Less Katrina.

Less border jumpers…More non-residents.

More high school musicals…Less high school drop outs.

More simplicity…less “Simpsons” the movie.

More Friday night board games…Less Nintendo Wii.

More blueberries…Less Blackberry.

More god…Less religion.

More registered voters…Less District 209 politicians.

More Africa and Latin America…Less Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

Less Comcast and AT&T…More TiVO and Vonage.

Less Hummer cruising…More Prius hybrids that look like Scions.

More go-cart races down Circle…Less automobile drag racing on Randolph.

More Steve & Barry’s…Less Gap, Baby Gap and achievement gap.

Less articles about our irreconcilable differences…More shows about our astonishing similarities.

Less drama, more comedy…less acting, more reality.

Less “Desperate Housewives”…More responsible fathers and dads.

Less kissin’ cousins…More Big Brothers and Sisters.

Less breast lifts…More breast feeding.

More YMCA…Less “why did I eat the whole thing!”

More Netflix and GameFly…Less Blockbuster and GameStop.

More library cards…Less Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh Cards.

More Bulls, Bears, Cubs, and Brown Cows…Less stolen centennial elephants.

More stocks and bonds…Less Tasers and bombs.

Less razors in apples for Halloween…More RAZRs and Apples for Christmas.

Less debates between stay-at-home and working moms…More moms raising families.

More Looney Tunes and iTunes…Less iPhone and ring tones.

More affordable homes in town…Less unaffordable town homes.

Less adults acting like children…more children acting their age.

More New Orleans, La….Obviously less Jena, La.