Simply Amazing
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Does your home reflect who you are? Or is it just a dumping ground between appointments, events, and work days?
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a super fan of the book called Simple Abundance. In it, the author, Sarah Ban Breathnach, talks about several ‘Graces’ or steps toward authenticity. Simplicity is the grace she talks about during the month of May.
While I’ve read her book several times, mostly I’ve just read it and not followed in her actual steps. But recently, I decided to try what she’s suggesting and I have been blown away by the results!
The current focus in her book is on the home. I, too, have been thinking about what could make my space more functional while also more reflective of who I am. I want to walk in the front door and feel my house put its arms around me, welcoming me in like a warm blanket on a chilly day.
Always wanted to do this…
When I read about the author’s daughter showing up and using the Marie Kondo method on her bedroom closet, which I’ve secretly wanted to do for a long time, I knew it was my chance to try it.
In the book, much to the author’s horror, the daughter drags every single piece of clothing out onto her mother’s bed and they go through all the individual pieces, saying thank you to each item, and then adding it to one of three piles: keep, toss, or make a decision.
The idea is that some of the stuff we keep hanging on to is holding us back from growing into the person we are currently becoming. We have to clear out what no longer serves us to be able to move forward.
Being a bit on the cautious side, I didn’t bring everything out of my closet. I worried that I would get started, freak out, and leave the whole mess for another day. Instead, I started at one end of my closet and worked my way through every piece of clothing in there. I tried some things on and was strict in my thinking that if I hadn’t worn the item in the past year (or more!), I never would and it needed to go.
I can’t find the words to explain the feeling I had afterwards, and still do, every time I walk into my closet. There’s a feeling of lightness and happiness. I know that I will, and do, wear every single item in there. The organization of my closet brings a ridiculous smile to my face just thinking about it.
I know, it’s weird, but it’s true.
Marie Kondo has this to say about the process. “By handling each sentimental item and deciding what to discard, you process your past. If you just stow these things away in a drawer or cardboard box, before you realize it, your past will become a weight that holds you back and keeps you from living in the here and now. To put your things in order means to put your past in order, too. It’s like resetting your life and settling your accounts so that you can take the next step forward.”
I enjoyed this so much that I’m looking for other areas in our house that need to be simplified.
I don’t feel like I need to replace the clothing I’ve gotten rid of, either. It feels amazing to know that I love everything I’ve kept and I’m not going to settle for something that might not feel completely like me, in the future.
I also love that Marie says this, “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.”