Life-changing Magic

Today was set aside to begin the process of decluttering. My business partner made me aware of a book by Japanese organizer extraordinaire Marie Kondo, whose method of tidying up has changed the lives of thousands of people. Her ideas get to the root of our problems with the "things" in our lives; namely that they do not have a place, or do not spark joy in us. She focuses more on what to keep than what to discard. Her simple rule is that if an item doesn't bring joy, pass it along so that it can be useful to someone else. There are categories of clutter to be dealt with and a specific order in which to approach the process. I designated today to begin with clothing. One key is to bring every single item of a certain category into the same place, to hold or touch each item, and decide whether or not you feel joy. I'm sure part of this is to increase our awareness of just exactly how much "stuff" we have. By following her order, we hone our decision making skills by starting with easier categories. Earlier today I texted my friend a picture of the mountains of garments from my closets and drawers. She texted back that it looked like "clothes porn", which made me laugh so hard that I couldn't stand it. After several hours of work, I'm so pleased with the results! Not merely what was discarded, but what was retained. This is the contents of one of my drawers, with items neatly folded and ready to wear. On to books for my next category!