Down The Rabbit Hole & Tidying Up

It has been very busy around here lately. At the end of May, Daughter #1 returned home to get well. We added to the dumping ground in the living room when she first arrived. I am slowing getting my living room back as we sort, edit, and purge Sara's things.

Prior to Sara's return, I had to re-home many of my belongings that have oozed their way into the drawers and closet of her bedroom. In order to make space for her in her old room, I had to created space for my things elsewhere. Essentially, I had to make space out of thin air... no small feat! It was serendipitous that I discovered Marie Kondo. Her approach to tidying up has been instrumental in helping me to achieve order out chaos. Perhaps there is something to the notion that we must trust that the Universe gives you exactly what we need. Sometimes hardships from which to build character or skill; or as in this case, some answers and information to tackle an existing life situation.

I remember scrolling through my Facebook feed one morning and found a post about the folding technique of Marie Kondo. Since all things domestic and related to organization interest me, I just HAD to click the link. I was fascinated. I continued to search for YouTube videos and Googled all things Marie Kondo. Now, that I've been totally hooked on her tidying approach. I have to say, based only on what I've found from other bloggers and YouTubers, the technique called the Konmari Method has rocked my world and provided me with just enough information to comfortably squeeze Sara back into the household while providing me with a little order and tidiness!

For several years now, I have worked on paring down unwanted/unused items, upstairs and down. The old clothes that don't fit; the outgrown toys and kids clothes and the junky or broken items were the easiest to purge - sell, donate or throw out. My last tidy up was before Christmas which I shared with you. Now, although I was pleased with the results, I think there is a little more tweaking required since I have become acquainted with Marie Kondo! Of course this will have to wait because I needed to make space for Sara now so I focused my efforts on her bedroom, the master bedroom, bathroom vanity, and the hall closet. While creating space out of thin air, I found things my husband and I have been hanging on to but were not using or wearing. I bet you can think of several of those items lurking in your closet or drawers! 

"Does this <insert item name> bring me joy?" has helped me purge the last of many unused items that we were holding on to because I felt guilty about getting rid of them or because they were a gift.  You all know those kinds of items... everyone has them! After editing and purging our drawers, bedroom and linen closets, and bathroom vanity, I applied her folding and organisation techniques. This worked so well in my bedroom that I eliminated the "off season" clothing bins and found that I could store far more in the same amount of space AND still see everything we had! If we can see the items, then we would USE the items. A win/win I'd say. After tackling just two bedrooms, my hall closet and the bathroom vanity in the style of the Konmari Method, I had the ability to comfortably squeeze Sara back into her room while maintaining a base level of tidiness. A stellar outcome. This little exercise has shown me that I really want and need to do more.

Yes, I will have to learn all that I can about this path to minimalism, at least my version of it, AND the art of tidying up once and for all. In order to do this, I ordered the book "The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. Now that I think of it, I will also have to pick up her second book called "Spark Joy" so that I can become an expert on how to tidy and put my home in order for the very last time!

I am, by nature, a tidy person. Order in my home brings me peace and serenity; but I know there is room for improvement. I am ready to dive in with the Marie Kondo approach so I can create a calm and clutter-free retreat; I want to truly adopt the old adage "a place for everything and everything in its place". I am looking forward to going through the entire process exactly as she instructs. I can't wait to feel lighter, more focused and see what other positive life transformations present themselves! Yes, I am Alice, and I have gone down that rabbit hole!

"The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past." - Marie Kondo