Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/647523
MARCH 2-8, 2016 UCW 5 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM A year or so ago, a cousin announced she had read a book that changed her life. Her overstocked closet was suddenly rehabbed to the point of minimalism, and out went ex traneous sheet s, towels, even f urnit ure. She began giv ing away her book s, of which she had hundreds. Family and friends received tomes with her name penned on the f lyleaves along with notes say ing something like, "I loved this book so much, I wanted you to have it ." The litmus test for all of her clearing out was this: "Does whatever it is bring me joy? " If not, it was out t a here. By now you have probably f igured out that my cousin read and was over whelmed by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which at this writing sit s atop The New York Times' best seller list as it has for 68 week s. Kondo has more recently followed up with Spark Joy, an illustrated companion on the v ir t ues of tidy ing up, also a best seller. Kondo's "magic" requires some organizational work . First, we must inventor y our possessions. For someone who lived for decades in a family of f ive, most of whom are now elsewhere but many of their possessions are still hanging around, the word " inventor y " is daunting , perhaps even terrif y ing. Kondo obv iously underst ands this, because she suggest s inventor y ing by categor y, not by room. I t ake this to mean st ar ting with my clothes, which span all seasons and many sizes. If they were human beings, some have reached legal age to vote. The stern look ing and joyless "go to work" suit s will be no problem to let go. As Kondo suggest s, I will thank them for jobs well done all those years in long meetings, and off they will go to an organization that prov ides such clothes to women who need them. Dit to for the well- used towels I just took to the Fayet tev ille Animal Protection Societ y, our communit y 's no-k ill shelter, for dr y ing wet crit ters and bedding. A family of f ive with years of summer camp and college generates a lot of towels. More problematic, I suspect, are the records of our lives — photographs, Mother's Day cards, let ters from camps and college — although emails can st ay around forever, long-ago awards, sweet notes from Valentine's Day bouquet s, holey-but-much-loved yoga pant s, and the like. They carr y no act ual value but — oh, my! — do they bring joy! Unlike my more industrious cousin, I have not act ually under t aken Kondo's daunting process of tidy ing up, but I am think ing about it as downsizing becomes more appealing. We Americans are so blessed in so many ways, but we do have too much st uff. Way too much st uff. Kondo offers a tidy ing-up method in her chapter titles. " W hy can't I keep my house in order? " My excuses include the fact that the Precious Jewels — all grownup and long f lown the coop, bless their hear t s! — still have possessions at Mama's and Lilly the Lab who is get ting messier as she ages. I wonder whether that is true for human beings as well… "Finish discarding f irst ." Kondo recommends doing this "all at once, intensely and completely." This is where the "spark ing joy " st andard comes in, and it has got to be harder than she makes it sound. In fact, I can hardly bear to think about it . "Tidying by category works like magic." This makes sense, but the sheer volume of stuff at chez Dickson makes this directive challenging. For example, Kondo says "place every item of clothing in the house on the f loor." Since some of my clothes could vote, I am not sure there is enough open space to do this. She also counsels, "downgrading to 'loungewear' is taboo." In other words, yoga pants cannot be worn 24/7. "Storing your things to make your life shine." This seems to be the reward for get ting rid of so many belongings. Her tips: "Make the top shelf of your bookcase your personal shrine" and "Decorate your closet with your secret delight s." We all k now rewards work bet ter than punishment s, so Kondo is probably onto something here. "The magic of tidy ing dramatically transforms your life." Af ter all the work of tidy ing and the trauma of let ting go, Kondo assures us that "Being surrounded by things that spark joy makes you happy." She also asser t s that " Your liv ing space affect s your body "— think detox and weight loss. She guards her client s' privac y but writes that with post-magic tidy ing , her client s have been transformed. "Their f igures are more streamlined, their sk in is more radiant, and their eyes shine brighter." W hat 's not to love about that? I think I am sold — at least on giv ing tidy ing up a tr y and hoping to f ind the magic. I am a bit concerned, though, about keeping wine and chocolate in my closet . Joy Is Relative by MARGARET DICKSON OPINION MARGARET DICKSON. Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200.