Last weekend I read the book that is all the rage right now, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I see why it is all the rage. We were in Florida through the weekend, and it was lovely and we got to see our friends, but MAN I just wanted to go home and start getting rid of things. This was not a new urge, rather an ongoing project that I have been gaining the courage to tackle over time, but that was some hardcore motivation.

We got home on Monday night. On Wednesday, I got to work. I took everything out of my closet. And the guest closet. And the storage closet. Coat closet. Every kind of closet. The pile was huge. And it felt so invigorating to choose the things that I want to keep in my life, and willingly let go of things that I don’t.

I realized something as I was reading the book that was confirmed as I was sorting through things, especially my books: I don’t get rid of things because I use them to portray something about me: the books that I have on the shelf, the amount that I’ve journaled or pictures I’ve taken/saved, the very important papers I have to file, the magazines I keep because I feel like they show my interests. But the only thing it expresses is that I’m drowning in my stuff.

So far I’ve tackled my clothes, my books, and begun on Sam’s closet. I’m so excited to keep going that it’s difficult to even pause to write this, but I have to remind myself that I can’t do it all in a day, or even a week. I think the author said it takes her clients an average of six months to complete the process, and I get the impression that most of them are working in smaller spaces than mine.

All of that said, this woman is a lunatic.

Socks are on holiday? Seasonal clothes need you to rub your hands on them to feel loved? Spare change is being stripped of dignity by not being spent? Lunacy.

Also, this book is highly offensive to any family or culture whose main problem is not drowning in a sea of their own belongings.

Now all of that said, I highly recommend it. As crazy as it is (and as simplistic – David has been telling me to get rid of all of my shit for YEARS), something about it really clicked with me, and I feel like that aspect of my life will definitely be improved going forward.

Photos: Everything out of every closet, closet empty, closet re-filled, two views of the books I’m choosing to part with.