Talking To My Stuff

Today I am going to begin talking to my clothes, my purse, my shoes, my house and basically everything I own. After reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering by Marie Kando, I am told that thanking items for their use in my life will make me feel good!

She tells me in the book that her method works and that the I will feel and look so much better once I finish with the clearing out of objects or clothing that do not bring joy into my life. Her method sounds quite extreme,  like getting every bit of clothing out of closets and drawers and piling them on the floor. Then, sitting in the middle of the pile clothing and picking up each piece of clothing. If it brings me joy, I will put it in a pile. If I am unsure I will put it in another pile. If the piece of clothing I am touching does nothing for me, it goes into the toss-out pile.

Arranging what I keep in lighter colors to darker colors should make me feel better. Looking into just one closet I can tell I do not have a color scheme! She dispels what I have heard before, like doing one room at a time or doing a little each day and instead recommends starting with categories; sweaters, dresses, slacks, shoes, etc.

As I pick up each item, I will know if it gives me joy. If it does not; toss, put in donation bag, or give away. Do not put items in storage.

I, and a few friends, have bookshelves full of books. Most of the books will never be read. Some books I saved because they moved me in the past and I thought I would read them again. Yet, chances are I will probably never read them again. Her phrase of Sometimes Means Never is true. I have books on my shelves that I have not looked at in forty years, so I am pretty sure I can get rid of them and never miss them!  I have six book shelves that need gleaning! My photographs will be a huge project because I have accumulated a bunch and some are in albums while others are in boxes. Even the ones in my computer will have to be sorted out.  Her question of how many photos do you need of your vacation made be think that her suggestion of five of each vacation would allow me to toss quite a bit.

Her advice is if some of my things need to be stored, to be sure and put them in a
vertical position and not flat in a drawer. On the television show, Sunday Morning, where I saw the author, she showed how to fold t-shirts but no matter how hard I try, I can not fold them

as tidy as she did so back to hanging in the closet they go! I have always folded the tops of my socks to keep them together, but she says to flatten them out and store in a drawer vertically and they will be much happier!

Detoxing the area around me by decluttering, will also detox me. There are many good ideas in this book and amazing how much we continue keeping and don't need.  I will begin by seeing what gives me happiness and what doesn't by talking to my things.

One of her final comments is on greeting my home. When I arrive home, I should thank my house for giving me comfort and being there for me. Somehow, I think thanking God would be more appropriate! But, that's just me!