Got notice from the library that The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was checked out to me. I put it on hold last month when I finally reached that point of not interested being overtaken by cultural phenomenon that I feel I should know about.
As you all know, I'm pretty tidy already. And I have my own systems in place to keep my love of stuff balanced out with my distaste for clutter. And my joy of a good pile of things balanced out with Brent's nervous tic when the piles get to be too much. But I still see this book (and now the show) referenced so often that I want to see what it's all really about.
Now when I mentioned it to Brent he was not at all sure it was good that the book has come available now. See, we are going to New Mexico for a visit in May. Nothing triggers my need to throw away all of our things like a trip back home. He voiced a very strong concern about me reading it this close to a visit. I assured him it would be fine. I'm not reading it to tidy up, I'm reading it to be informed. Totally fine.
That's the plan.
But he's right. It's something I will have to watch. Especially right now.
See I just bought new furniture for the basement. So instead of walking into a room that is almost empty I walk into a room with two couches, a foot stool, a GIANT TV, a TV stand, soon to have two end tables and two lamps and pictures on the wall. Along with the bakers racks that were already there. It's a pretty full room.
And because we added things there, there are boxes in the garage right now cluttering things up. The TV box we are supposed to keep for a month just to make sure the TV works fine before getting rid of it. But it takes up a whole wall of the garage. And then there is the box that the TV stand came in. Big stand, big box. I'll have to break it down in stages for recycling. And then there are all of my Christmas boxes that we had to move because we also got a new water heater. It's bigger than the last one so the storage area that was behind it we can't get to as easily anymore.
My garage is a wreck basically. It's really cluttered.
Yes, I know, it's a garage, they are supposed to be kind of a wreck.
Except ours usually isn't. We have it organized. Shelves, boxes, storage, things are tidy.
And I also just bought blackout curtains for the bedrooms and some new artwork in Hawaii.
We also just got our tax bill for the year and it was significant.
Which, yes, doesn't add clutter to the world, but it makes me feel a little badly about the massive shopping I've been doing. So mental clutter.
So there is a part of me that is like, WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!! WE NEED TO PARE DOWN!! OH MY GOODNESS WHAT WAS I THINKING??
But in a totally in control and calm way.
Except for the shouting bits.
So yes, I will have to be careful when I read the book so as not to lose my damn mind and undo all of the homey touches I've been putting on the house since we are definitely staying here and not looking at new houses anymore because this is the decision we have made for sure this time. (until the next time we decide we really need a one story, or a backyard, or a beach)
I'll keep you all posted. But if you see me sneaking out to Goodwill with a suspiciously filled car feel free to say something to me about it. Or send Brent a MAYDAY post. One of those.
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