The Zen of the Closet

I have to admit that I'm now obsessed....I also promise I won't write about it again. When I found myself folding OilMan's dozens and dozens of t-shirts, I knew it was too late to help myself, so I gave in.  I also never thought I would be publishing a picture of my underwear drawer, but that is proof that when hopelessly lost, perhaps it's best to give in....

There's something quite soothing about the process...I didn't exactly thank my ratty t-shirts before I trashed them, and I suppose 'sparks joy' covers a multitude of memories and experiences so I began to enjoy the process. And, it is true, it's possible to fit a lot of carefully folded clothes into a small space. The question is, will I be motivated enough by three days of thanking, sparking and folding, to keep doing it when I'm running late and rummaging through my closet to find something to wear?  

I have not conquered the folding of socks or the elimination of orphans...but attempting to fold them did spark a memory. When we lived in Belgium, the year before we lived in Edinburgh, a neighbor told us about the Norland Nursery Training College. We were looking for child care for the kids, who were all under five, so we could go on a little holiday without them before traveling back to the States. We didn't really know what to expect when we dropped them off in Hungerford for a week, and we didn't stick around very long to find out, but it turned out that each of the kids had their own personal nanny for the week and they had a grand time. When we picked them up I expected to see three grubby children accompanied by suitcases full of dirty clothes.

Not a bit of it...everything was impeccably laundered, folded according to Marie Kondo standards, and wrapped in tissue paper. Tim's nanny informed me that if I happened to notice a pair of M&S socks amongst his things, it was because she burned a sock whilst ironing it and bought him a new pair! 

I just Googled Norland Nursery Training Collegeand they're still going strong...they are based in Bath now, they have dropped the 'Nursery Training' from their name, and they no longer have a nursery for boarders but their uniforms haven't changed at all since 1972! Including the white gloves....They're probably still ironing socks and I'm sure they never have orphaned ones like the two on my bed....