Closet

A few years ago I talked about a time when I decided to gather all of our school supplies from around the house into the front room, and "shop" from the supplies for our new school year lists.  With each child gathering from their room, and myself gathering from the kitchen area, dumping it into one pile in the only living space we had at the time, I was shocked (and embarrassed) by how much we had.  I immediately started to divide them up into categories, and decided then and there that I would never buy brand new school supplies until I'd gone through our own supplies first.  I rarely buy new stuff anymore, always keeping it all nicely organized in school boxes for daily use and school supply lists.

Then comes this revolutionary book about that very organization that I'd experienced before it was cool-- organizing by category, not room.  The KonMarie Method.  She tells you to do exactly what I'd done-- gather it all into one space.  It will shock you to see all that you've accumulated, most likely making you feel embarrassed you'd let it get that bad, and help you know exactly what you have to make better choices of what you want to keep.  While I don't do every step she suggests (I have never tapped the spines of my books to wake them before sorting them, nor have I thanked my clothes as I was chucking them into a garbage bag meant for Salvation Army), I do regularly organize my categories.

With the New Year, when we all have resolutions fresh on our minds, Netflix released a new series where Marie goes from home to home, helping them organize their categories.  She tells them what to do, helps them start on each project (clothing is always first, with sentimental last), and guides them as they organize their home.  Inevitably, each person (kids included) talks about how much happier they are now that they've gotten rid of so much, and now that it's so much cleaner.  It was very inspiring to watch!  It was truly a joy to get rid of stuff they never thought they could get rid of.  I've watched the entire season, always turning off the tv to start another category.  Watching someone else clean always propels me to clean myself.  Especially when it's an episode of Hoarders.

Things have been a bit hard for me emotionally recently.  I can honestly pin point it back to that moment where my mind thought, "It's still real."  Things that used to be nothing to me now seem big.  I'm more anxious.  I take longer to come down from an anxiety high.  I am just kind of struggling in general more than I have been in a long time.  I'm watching it closely, taking notes about my day, and will go see a doctor if it gets much worse.

Last week started quite hard with the car troubles, getting worse as the days went on.  I knew I needed a project that would make me feel light when I was done, so I decided to tackle my closet.

(My stuff) 

It wasn't too bad, but I knew it could be better.  Everything is folded into category piles, but it just didn't stay/look as organized as I would like.

(Randy's stuff)

Not wanting to break the bank, I got these Dish Buckets (thanks, Jamie, for the recommendation!) for $2.00/each and got started on The KonMarie Folding Method.

One thing I know about anxiety disorders is that they do a project slowly so they can do it perfectly.  I also know that projects like this get worse before they get better, so I prepared myself for that moment where you think, "What the heck was I thinking?"  You'd think something like this would cause me more anxiety, since I was already struggling, but it was amazing to experience the transformation first hand, and feel how it truly lifted my spirits during the work.

It's not designer storage, but I wasn't going for that.  I love the way it feels, I love the way it looks, I love the way it works.  There is happiness in purging for me.  There is happiness in organizing and cleaning.  There is happiness in the act of cleaning as I watch something go from messy to clean as I think, "I did that!"  Some would question whether cleaning could actually be relaxing, but for me, it can be. 

Still love that I organized by category before it was cool!  Marie, tell me something that I don't know...