Tidying is magical

Last month, I confessed something to my mom: part of me wouldn't be sad if our house burned down and all of my stuff was gone. She told me that she used to have the same secret. Then she moved and left behind 90% of her stuff, only that's not how she thought of it. She focused on the 10% of her stuff that she decided to take with her. I was sold. 

As soon as I got home, I ordered The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up on Amazon. Even with a one year old, I finished reading it in two days. It was the first book I've stayed up late to finish in years. It was exactly what I needed. 

The gist of it is that you go through everything you own, one category at a time, and only keep the things that make you happy. And don't keep anything just because you feel like you should, either because you haven't used it or because someone gave it to you. And then find a home for all the things you're keeping. 

So far, I've gone through all of my clothes, all of my books, all of my bedding, all of my holiday decorations, and most of my paperwork. I donated 5 bags of clothes to a women's shelter. I donated 5 boxes of books to the library. I donated 4 bags of bedding and 3 boxes of holiday decorations. 

I've also learned things. Like how good it feels to let things go that no longer make me happy. And how relaxing it is to not be surrounded by so much clutter. And that there are so many categories left to go! 

Happy tidying!