Right after New Year's 2019 I came down with an inner ear infection. One moment I was fine and the next moment the floor was tilting. My doctor prescribed antibiotics and rest. Reading made me dizzy, so like so many others I watched "Tidying Up" with Marie Kondo. I was hooked. This blog is a poet and chaplain's perspective on this process.
Don't let her charming presentation fool you into underestimating her. There is something deep at work in the KonMar process. The larger goal is to be surrounded only by things that give you joy. This leads to a more meaningful and joyful life. Along the way, you learn the spiritual practices of surrender, mindfulness, discernment, and gratitude. You will find some of this depth in the final pages of her book.
The idea is to go through everything you own "in one go" which can last several months. It's a tidying marathon. I have gone through a few cycles of getting rid of things, but always in a piecemeal fashion. I have watched in horror as our basement fill up with stuff I have not truly let go. The idea of going through all of it and being DONE appeals. I want to live in a much smaller home some day to decrease my footprint on this earth.
In Marie Kondo's method you go through things by category, gathering everything in that category from all over your house and going through it item by item. You do this in a certain order - clothes, books, paper, miscellaneous, and then sentimental items.
There is a reason for this order. As you progress through the categories you hone your sense of what brings you joy and what you truly need for the rest of your life. Clothes are the first category so I dizzily piled all my clothes up on my bed. I mean ALL of my clothes including
Then, even though it made me dizzy, I moved about my room hanging some clothes and folding and storing the rest. Marie Kondo has you fold everything into neat rectangles then store them standing up. This is pure genius. When you open the drawer you can see everything in it. It's also great because your clothes don't look like you slept in them in a whirlwind. Because the folding is slow, methodical and mindful I'm actually enjoying doing laundry, a task I've always hated.
In short I am very pleased with the results. I no longer have to store seasonal clothes in the Dreaded Basement because all of my clothes now fit in my closet and dressers. In fact, I cleared out so much that I am using one dresser mostly for linens. It's a good start. The next category is books, which I'll discuss in the next installment.
In Marie Kondo's method you go through things by category, gathering everything in that category from all over your house and going through it item by item. You do this in a certain order - clothes, books, paper, miscellaneous, and then sentimental items.
There is a reason for this order. As you progress through the categories you hone your sense of what brings you joy and what you truly need for the rest of your life. Clothes are the first category so I dizzily piled all my clothes up on my bed. I mean ALL of my clothes including
- the wedding dress I actually wore and the practice dress that I didn't. They will go to someone who needs them.
- the two Chanel suits a former congregant gave me that belonged to her late mother. I love but never wear them so ended up selling them on consignment.
- summer clothes retrieved from the Dreaded Basement
- my wetsuit (now In the basement).
Then, even though it made me dizzy, I moved about my room hanging some clothes and folding and storing the rest. Marie Kondo has you fold everything into neat rectangles then store them standing up. This is pure genius. When you open the drawer you can see everything in it. It's also great because your clothes don't look like you slept in them in a whirlwind. Because the folding is slow, methodical and mindful I'm actually enjoying doing laundry, a task I've always hated.
In short I am very pleased with the results. I no longer have to store seasonal clothes in the Dreaded Basement because all of my clothes now fit in my closet and dressers. In fact, I cleared out so much that I am using one dresser mostly for linens. It's a good start. The next category is books, which I'll discuss in the next installment.