It’s a new year. You know what that means. Time to get organized! One thing that trips me up year after year is the desire to organize and clean up and having so much stuff that I need to sort through first. I can get one item organized, my ribbons for example, but then I have bunches of rope, elastics, and string that aren’t quite ribbons. What do I do with them?
My organization skills are very similar to Mom’s. She loves to be organized, but like me, her organization pattern doesn’t make much sense to outsiders. Today she has been organizing her sock drawer. For most folks that would mean by color or style. Her system is indecipherable to me. She folds and refolds, shuffles and restacks. She does have a plan, I suppose. I just don’t understand it.
There is a whole industry devoted to helping clutterers like me gain control over their stuff. From the “Queen of Clean” Linda Cobb to Reader’s Digest articles to Pinterest ideas, I’ve read my share. Marie Kondo has written a book called “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.” The premise is that the only possessions to keep are those that “spark joy.” Keep only the shirts that make you feel joyful. I don’t know how to figure that one out.
Are those the shirts I feel comfortable in? Or the shirts that people compliment? How does our stuff “spark joy?” People spark joy in me. Some places fill me with joy. Music is joyful, but I haven’t found the joy in possessions. Or have I? Souvenirs from trips, photos, favorite books – those things certainly do bring me joy, but I’m not sure how to classify my wardrobe.
Maybe Kondo’s book isn’t for me. I do like her idea of tidiness, but I think it’s too time consuming to be of any lasting value. I’m not sure that I really want to think about my stuff that much. The only time I’m really concerned with my clutter is when it gets in the way of being productive or someone is coming to the house. My poor husband would love to live in an uncluttered environment, but after 22 1/2 years, he’s come to terms with my lack of natural neatness. Even my friends, save one (and you know who you are!), are able to ignore my obvious packrat flaws most of the time.
So, once again, I’m not getting hyper organized at the beginning of this new year – not that it was a new year’s resolution anyway. My main goal is to stay off the radar for that show “Hoarders.“ (I also am attempting to stay off “Worst Cooks in America” and “What Not to Wear.”) Even if you drop in unannounced, you are able to walk a path from the door to the kitchen and sit on the sofa in the living room. My coffee pot is clean and ready for a fresh pot.
That’s how life should be lived, I believe. Organized sock drawers are great if you want them organized. (Mine are quite lovely, and after today, Mom’s look great too.) Books are good guides, but they are not rules to a joyful life. Junk drawers are not a sign of a crazy life. Mom taught me that. It’s relationships that matter. Therefore, I resolve to get rid of the clutter that keeps me from developing friendships. No promises, but maybe I’ll tackle my craft room sometime in 2016. Then I can work on relationships as we make something! Now that will spark joy for sure!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donna B. James is the Worship and Music Director at First United Methodist Church in Cornelia, GA. She’s a wife and mother of three children and is a professional musician, teacher, and coach. She spends each Monday as a caregiver to her mother, Ruth, who has Alzheimer’s.
If you’re a caregiver and have a story to share or know of resources that might help other caregivers, please contact Donna at [email protected].
