Does It Bring You Joy?


I've felt the urge to de-clutter in the past few months, and decided this year would be THE YEAR to do it. I am giving myself the entire year to work through this house. Hey, I only have so much energy, you know. 

The latest book rage seems to be "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.  So.... I downloaded the book and read it.  Cover to cover.
In it, the author advocates touching every single item in your house and asking yourself, "Does this bring you joy?"  If it DOES, you keep it.  If not -- toss it.

 
(I've got to tell you, tossing the bras was truly a joyful experience!)

As with most advice books, I take some of the tips and use them, modify others, and then roll my eyes (and ignore) at what I think does not fit me or my situation.
For example, she suggests rolling your socks rather than stuffing one inside the other (as I've done my whole life) as a way to save space.  I started to toss that idea but thought I'd just try it and see if it really worked like she said.  I was surprised to discover that it DID save a good bit of space.  So, new habit in formation for me.  

She also suggests folding your clothes (like t-shirts) into small squares.  Now, the author is a tiny Japanese woman -- she admits that she wears a child's size shirt to do her housework in.  She probably can fold her shirts into tiny squares.  I am a big American girl -- and I don't care how many times I fold my t-shirts, they are NOT going to be "small" squares!  

One suggestion concerned books.  I absolutely cackled at her suggestion that a home needs no more than 30 books.  Nope, not happening here. 
(Unless she meant "per shelf" -- that I could manage!)

Ms. Kondo suggests piling every item of clothing you own onto the bed -- dumping all drawers, closets, tubs, ALL OF IT and going through it piece by piece at one time.  I knew I would never be able to manage all of that at once (not enough spoons of energy) so I adapted it for my energy levels.  So far, I have decluttered the clothing in my dresser, and part of my closet.  There were pieces that I have not worn in a long time -- maybe they didn't fit well any more, or just didn't feel comfortable, or were just hopelessly out of style.  I tossed a lot of it -- a couple of trash bags full!   If I haven't worn it in a year (or more), there is no point in keeping it, right?

Well....there's this pair of jeans.  I will admit they are at least as old as my third child.  (He is 31, but who's counting?)  They've been with me "through thick and thin" (literally and figuratively).  And they've been patched...
...and patched
...and patched...
....and patched... (I do neat work, don't I?)...
...and PATCHED!


They were comfortable, like an old friend that never let you down.  I wore them when my kids were small.  I wore them when I moved to an apartment, then later when I moved to South Carolina.  I wore them when David and I were first dating -- that was just 14 years ago!  There have been times when I gained so much weight I couldn't wear them (prednisone is wicked).  But I kept them, anyway. 

I realized I had not put them on in a year or two -- so I decided to wear them one day last week.  I was honestly kind of shocked at how baggy they were now.
This picture did NOT bring me joy.  I realized that after all these years, it was time to let them go.   **sigh**  Farewell, old friend, you served me well and I appreciate the journey I had with you.

I have a long way to go with my decluttering experiment -- but I think I made a good start. 

Meanwhile, back in my hometown of Peachland, NC, a different kind of "decluttering" occurred.  A  landmark building disappeared.   I guess the old Press Thomas Store was the oldest building in town. 
(Photo courtesy of Jennifer Hasty Ricketts)
When I was a child, I remember my Uncle Austin ran the store. In the summertime, there was always green "sawdust" on the floor that kept the flies at bay; in the winter a big wood burning stove kept the place warm and toasty.    Huge bags of flour in colorfully printed sacks rested against the long wooden counter that lined the wall.  I knew exactly where the candy was located, and Uncle Austin would often slip a lollipop or a piece of penny candy to me.  A soda cost a dime, a candy bar was a nickel.  (I must really be OLD!) 

Over the years the store building would be sometimes be used, then be vacant. A couple of businesses moved in, then moved out.  For a while, the porch served as a "resting place" for a group of retired gentlemen to sit, talk, and solve all of the world's problems. But for the past oh-so-many-years, the old building has been empty, sagging against the elements of weather and time. 

At any rate, one day last week the bulldozer came and tore it down.
(Photo courtesy Jennifer Hasty Ricketts)
It really made me sad, though the practical part of me realizes it was probably too far gone to be restored properly.  Now there's just a smooth, empty lot where the old store used to be. 

Still, I wonder.  Is this decluttering?  Is it progress?  Or is it another piece of history, vanished into dust and memory?









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