As someone who enjoys organizing, minimalizing, and similar activities, it’s only natural that I would eventually read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Here’s my take: For the most part, this woman is crazy. However, in some ways I related to her in a very big way, so does that make me the crazy one? Don’t answer that.
Kondo teaches some good theories on how keeping an organized home and living with less can give us a free and peaceful feeling. She also encourages us to dry our dishes on the veranda instead of in a dish drain and to tell our shoes “thank you for your hard work today” when we get home from the office. Clearly, not all of her tactics are reasonable, but a few are.
I related to her writing about the strong desire to get rid of some of her family’s excess belongings. My husband still accuses me of throwing away his favorite hunting knife a couple of years ago. I didn’t, but he knows my committment to living with less is pretty strong.
What Kondo says about our culture of excessive gift-giving also resonated with me. She writes: “We need to show consideration for others by helping them avoid the burden of owning more than they need or can enjoy.”
I’m not saying Kondo reads A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER and copies my ideas, but the portion of the book on storing seasonal clothes is similar to a blog post I wrote a year or so ago. She advocates for storing everything where it can be used, not hauling winter clothes up from the basement when the weather cools off and keeping totes of clothes in storage during the off-season. I’m a fan of this theory.
I’m not a fan of talking to my belongings and only keeping things that bring me a profound sense of joy. Yes, if a sweater makes my arms itch every time I wear it even though it’s pretty, it should go. If I haven’t worn a pair of boots in over a year because they pinch my toes, buh-bye. However, I don’t need to see fireworks every time I look at my toothbrush holder for it to get to stay in my home.
All in all, I really liked some of the ideas Kondo shares, but I also couldn’t help but think she must live kind of a sad and boring life. Still, after finishing the book, I immediately donated a box of clothes to charity. I think we can all benefit from exercising a little minimalism in our lives. And if you hear me talking to my tea kettle, thanking it for heating my water, please intervene.
A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER 