Clutter and Sparking Joy

I’m trying to declutter as it was beginning to look a little hoarderish in my house!  I ended up taking quite a bit to Goodwill.  I know that I paint furniture and resell it but the pieces that I donated were not really worth my time to paint.  Frankly, I just wanted them out.  I got into my “get rid of it” kick and so out they went.  We also cleaned out our closets.  This alone made a huge difference.  I kept asking the kids, “Does this spark joy?” until they screamed (for those who don’t know the expression, it is from a hugely popular book all about decluttering by a Japanese author, Marie Kondo).

Speaking of Marie Kondo, are you all onboard the minimalist movement?  There was a segment on NPR about it last week and it was so interesting.  I do think being tidy and organized is a positive but I also think one can take it to the extreme.  One guy threw away all the letters that his mother had written him.  He said he took pictures of the letters and then tossed them.  I think he may regret that decision.  I have a book that my grandmother made for me and just holding it brings a bit of her back.  Actual written letters are hard to find these days!  I don’t think they would take up a whole lot of room but, hey, to each his own.  The whole tiny house movement is part of the living a clutter free life movement.  Only having enough possessions to fill a small storage container size home is, in my mind, a little extreme.  These couples on the HGTY show, “Tiny House” make me chuckle.  Well, it’s okay at first but just wait until your handsome new husband eats beans before bed and I’m quite sure you will wish you had another bedroom to escape to.

I also did a big clean out.  I’m embarrassed to share this picture but yes, it is my closet.  I don’t know if I ever shared this before but we purchased our home from my parents.  It is the house that I grew up in.  There are a lot of positives and negatives that come along with it and maybe one day I will share them all.  Let’s just say that one interesting part of buying your childhood home is that you discover dresses from Christmas dinner 1976.  And again, do I toss or keep?  Ahhhh!

I added the English settee into our bedroom.  For those that don’t remember it’s before and after, you can click HERE for the original post.  It looks great and Sophie already is using it to lay down and read on.  We cleared out a lot of junk in our basement.  However, my basement and garage are actually magical.  I can clean them out and admire my newly organized space – for about one day.  Then I open the door and BAM!  They are filled again.  Immediately.  It is truly magical.

My house is not like Marie Kondo’s house.  It still has old letters, tons of old books, a few bits of baby clothing from my children, and yes, dresses from 1976 but it is all mine and it does actually spark a bit of joy.  At least for now. I know that in about six years or so, we will consider downsizing and I shall deal with some difficult decisions then.  Like what to do with my old brownie uniform in Ella’s closet!