The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

My mother is not a reader. So when - over our visit home to Texas for Christmas - she told me that she read this book, she LOVED this book, she loved Marie Kondo's TV show, she was reading the book a second time, I had to read it immediately, yes yes I should buy my own copy on my Kindle right this second ... her enthusiasm rubbed off on me (though I didn't actually start it until I'd gotten back to Virginia after the holidays).My mom has only ever loved one other book/author that I know of, and that is Don Aslett and his book [b:Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to de-Junk Your Life! 11610 Clutter's Last Stand It's Time to de-Junk Your Life! Don Aslett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405976290l/11610.SY75.jpg 520647]. I grew up with her reading and rereading that book every few years, and subsequently, we both enjoy - and are good at - getting rid of things. OR SO I THOUGHT.It took me 30% of the book or so to get on board with Kondo's plan, but well before that, I was already imagining things I could eliminate, donate, recycle that hadn't even occurred to me that I didn't need. Like: tights. I have a bazillion pairs of tights, most of which I bought or received five years ago when we moved to Virginia. Because it gets cold in Virginia. Except that I realized this year that except for the like, three times a year I need to get dressed up for something, I wear jeans exclusively for work and play. I don't need a bazillion pairs of tights, especially because I have long underwear that I do use that serves the same purpose of keeping my legs warm. Storing all those tights in the ugly plastic bin in our bedroom brings me no joy; but out of sight, out of mind.I'm not 100% with Kondo on everything, but I was surprisingly in agreement with most of what she said. I had heard a lot of people scoffing at this book and Kondo herself on the internet before my mom's recommendation, talking about how Kondo must be awful if she demands you get rid of all your books and unload your purse every day, but that's not the point of this at all. She asks that if your books bring you joy, you keep them, and you get rid of the ones that don't make you happy anymore. I just bought brand-new custom wood bookcases for the little library I'm creating, and every time I look in that room and see my neat bookcases, it makes me so happy. But I also know that several of the books I have were hand-me-downs from my grandmothers, who are in altogether too many book clubs, and are not valuable nor necessarily things I'm really interested in reading. So I should donate those. And the handbag thing? Yes, it seems crazy. But you know what is also crazy? That I hang my purse and coat off the back of one of the dining room chairs every night, and go back and forth to it continually moving my coat to access my phone, my wallet, the book(s) and notebook I carry around everyday ... and that doesn't make me happy either. So why not designate a place where my things should go? To me, it seem at least worth trying out some of these ideas.Altogether, I enjoyed Tidying Up a lot, for the ideas it sparked and the peek into other people's lives and homes. If you have laughed at it or been outraged about this book without actually giving it a chance, I encourage you to borrow it from the library and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. I'll be over here, donating tights and Nana's book club picks from 2008.