Declutter the sky, part 2

(For part 1 about wires in the sky, click here.)

I had no plans for this to be a multi-part series, but as often happens, it turns out I have more to say. This next saga could be recounted as a story about home inspections and fireplace insert fuel options. But it was tedious enough to live through the first time, so I’ll spare you the details.

I’ll just say: soon after we bought our home, it became clear we needed to put a new insert (the thing that makes the fire) into our fireplace, and also repair the top of our crumbling chimney. So you have a visual reference:

The quote to repair the chimney wasn’t too bad, so we scheduled both pieces of work for earlier this month. But there was an HGTV-style plot twist. When the guys arrived onsite and power washed the mossy chimney, it became clear that the damage was more severe than anticipated, doubling the cost estimate (and no, this was a reputable company unlikely to be scamming us).

The months of tedium leading up to this point flashed before my eyes, and I shuddered at the thought of going back to square one, getting a round of new bids, and continuing to muddle through a subject I have little natural interest in.

Then it hit me: do we even need a chimney??

We had just installed an electric fireplace insert. Electric inserts are basically fancy space heaters with a light show, and they require no venting. (They also occasion postmodern musing about the essential nature of fire whenever you turn them on.)

Sure enough, the bid to remove the chimney above the roof line was half the cost of repairing it. And as added bonuses, we’d both reduce our chance of roof leaks and improve the insulation of our drafty living room.

Done deal! Away the chimney went.

And here we are today:

While we were at it, we removed the now-defunct furnace chimney on the back of our house.

Before:

After:

As this all was going on, I watched the bricks come down, and dopamine started flooding my body. I was confused. What was this feeling?

Oh!

It’s the joy I get when I complete a satisfying decluttering project. I just went from two unnecessary chimneys to zero. I decluttered my roof. And it felt unexpectedly good. My joys may be a little eccentric, but I take them as they come.

I hope this story serves as a reminder that in a world organized around accumulation, it’s worth exercising our subtraction muscle.

Now You

What weird thing has given you unexpected declutter dopamine?

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