The space around us

I know from social media and other things I've read that I'm not alone in being affected by the space around me. It makes sense that our surroundings would affect us, right? If they're dangerous, we'd be foolish not to feel unsafe. If they're breath-takingly beautiful, of course we might feel awe. 
But over recent years I've discovered that more than the larger setting affects me; if there's too much clutter around me, or too much disorder, or even too many unnecessary THINGS, I feel anxious and depressed.
This includes my workspace. If my desk is too messy, I'll have a terrible time settling down to write. I don't want all the distractions--things I have to be careful not to knock over, reminders of my woeful housekeeping habits, things I'd rather not have to look at or think about. And I have had a hard time corralling my thoughts enough to concentrate on my stories, lately, so maybe that's why I undertook a project last week that is yielding happy results today.
Back in my professor days, I lived in a sunny house with high ceilings, a real guest bedroom, and multiple bathrooms. I loved living in that pretty space with my son... but later, as an empty nester, it was Too Much. Too much to clean, too much to pay for, too much to maintain, too much space for one person by herself. I longed for the good old days when there was someone to share the space. And gradually, I began to long for a place that would be just the right size for me myself. I began to whittle down my life, giving away or tossing out all the extra stuff, deciding how I REALLY wanted to be spending my time (Hint: NOT fighting for the existence of my academic unit or the validity of my chosen field), and what I'd need to keep or save to make that life a reality.
And, over time, I ended up here, up north near my son, in a small, overly paneled studio apartment in the Twin Cities. Finally, I have the right size space for me alone, and just the stuff I need in it. I have to be careful not to collect too much stuff, because there's no extra room for clutter. I have to keep things pretty orderly, because there's nowhere to hide a mess. And now that the size and the stuff are right, it seemed a good time to work on making it look more attractive--something I hadn't really thought seriously about before, because of my very tight budget.  But last weekend I took a leap and swapped out my old, mismatched, dangerously overloaded bookshelves [at left, below] for some new white shelves I assembled myself [at right, below]. The results immediately lifted my mood and my enjoyment of my own little home, as well as inspiring me to make other changes that have further improved the appearance of the place and, consequently, my mood! 
So before I settle in to begin writing again, let me share with you Before & After pics of the shelves.
I wish you, too, just enough stuff and just enough space that you feel good in it.
​