It was the first week of December when I got the automated phone call that a book was ready for pickup from my local library.
I love my library. I can preview and save books to read later. I have a pretty good list of books to read in my account. One particular book I had heard rave reviews about so I selected a date, months from now when “life settles down”.
Why did I pick December??
Because I’m totally loco that’s why.
I was excited about the unexpected surprise phone call as I’d forgotten that I set up my queue. What was the book, you ask?
Life Ruined.
Or is it?
I devoured this book as I had mulled over the minimalist lifestyle months before. I read blogs, I thought long and hard about how to do it but never could take action. Here’s why:
Confession: I come from a family of “collectors.” I won’t say that we’re bad enough to be on an episode of Hoarders but we just never knew how to throw stuff out. Ever.
I collected glass jars because I might use them. (Yes, I’ve been questioned if I lived through the Depression Era.)
I might be able to fit that skirt again, just need to work out a little bit more.
Won’t read that book but I can’t throw it out either.
I grew up with the mindset of if something is broken, just fix it, later. A lifetime of this mindset and how many projects now have accumulated because that phrase, “I’ll get to it, later”.
When I married Jonathan, he was the total opposite. Bed made, clean room, he often jokes about how in grade school, his mom threw out his Playstation when he didn’t use it for 5 minutes. WHat a character! Being around her, I learned a lot. I think after awhile of being a Schroer, I got rid of most of my glass jars, haha. My dad even ripped on me this Christmas about how, out of all of his six children, I am the one that throws the most stuff out. Something unlike true Cason blood. Hahha, this is just the beginning.
So with this book by Marie Kondo, I learned the principles as to WHY and HOW. The question she asks over and over is, “Does it spark joy?” It may once have, but no longer. {She encourages to “thank it for it’s purpose and let it go”} Do you keep out of obligation, fear, or necessity? Do you keep old photos to look at one day? Because guess what, you won’t… Guilty.
It was hours later that Jonathan and I went medieval on our house and unloaded 4+ truckloads of clothes, toys, and things we just didn’t love. As you can imagine, our house was a mess by tearing through all our belongings. Why did I decide to do this right before Christmas?
We may have gone a bit overboard on his clothes.
As Level 10 as we are, I don’t think we have many regrets. We may need to buy Jonathan more clothes in general but we noticed that our house is much easier to manage- I never would’ve believed to be possible with young kids. As my mom always said,
“The Barn is clean when there are no animals.”
A few positives that I noticed right away:
Our kids play with more variety of toys.
No more fishing through clothes I don’t like for something to wear. I enjoy everything in there!
I fold my clothes differently now-And it doesn’t turn into a mess in my drawers after a few days the way the old vertical piles used to.
We’ve got just a touch more tackling to do. I need to revisit my bookshelf again, which is the one of the hardest for me. But overall, my home feels a thousand pounds lighter and it doesn’t feel like the insanity of picking up the same things I did yesterday. Jonathan said that he doesn’t miss or need anything we tossed. Neither do I.
So I encourage you, if you are a lot like me and have lots of projects you’ll one day get to, or piles of laundry that you can’t keep up with, or a ton of glass jars that you might use one day, please, take a read. She does talk a bit about Japanese culture, setting up shrines, and even talking to her possessions but the idea remains: make your house a sanctuary to rest and relax; Not to accumulate clutter.
Hope this helps make an cleaner and easier 2016!
xo,
