The television, that is...
Netflix has a new series from the Japanese wonder worker, Marie Kondo. I had been avoiding it, as I did her book, because I don't have a problem with my clutter. Would I prefer that it was less dusty? Yes, of course, but I don't have room in my brain to stress about that. Plus, I found the whole 'does it bring you joy' thing a little precious and gimmicky.
So, feeling skeptical, I decided to see what the big fuss was about. There are a handful of episodes and I chose one with an empty nest couple. I didn't start with the first one because it is a family with toddlers and, thankfully, that is not my life!
The couple, I think their last name is Akiyama, have a large house that was full to the brim. My first thought was, 'Yay! I'm not anywhere near that level of stuff!' It made me feel a tiny bit smug. T always complained that I was a hoarder and that is simply not true. I've been in hoarder houses and mine is not one. She just likes to be mean. Plus, she comes from a family who actively support the disposable lifestyle and that is the diametric opposite of me and my family. (We actually use our old things and prefer to not buy more.)
The process was interesting to watch. The wife had a mountain of clothing. A really astounding number of garments. But, she was quite frank about her love of clothes and shopping and yes, most of the clothes brought her joy. Still she did manage to reduce the sheet numbers and what she kept, while still a staggering amount in my eyes, was organized and accessible.
The husband's big thing was baseball cards. He had a stack of boxes that literally went to the ceiling. I thought he would dig in his heels about paring it down, but he was willing to reduce it. Good for him. He pared it way down; the stack is nowhere near the ceiling now!
Then there were the Christmas decorations. Honestly, it was staggering how many things they had. The wife liked to decorate every room in the house at the holiday and I support her right to do so. But, seriously, that was a lot of nutcrackers! I can't remember how many containers of decorations they kept but it still felt like a lot. However, it was considerably less than they had started with, and everything was neatly put away rather than stacked up higgledy-piggledy through the house.
The best thing about the episode, to me, was the spirit of camaraderie that the husband and wife shared. There was a sense of working together; they were on the same side. It wasn't one spouse pushing the other to get rid of things that they love. They looked like they were both invested in the process and they both benefited from it. It was really sweet! I have such a jaded view of marriage and partnership that it surprised me to see two people working in harmony. I felt a little wistful that I will never have that, but it was somehow comforting to know that it exists in the world.
I realize, of course, that the show is highly edited and the tone is set by what the producers leave in and what they take out. But, I didn't get the sense that the couple had underlying animosity over their collections of stuff. I'm going to go ahead and hold that thought, because it 'brings me joy'... lol.
Next, I'm going to watch the episode with the book collectors. If there is a trouble spot for me it is my personal library. I grew up in a house chock full of books and I inherited a lot of them from my parents. I'm a reader, for certain, and I love books. I have been giving some away lately and need to accelerate that process. The 'little free libraries' around me receive a lot of the books that I pass on, but I could do more.
The other really sticky spot for me is sentimental items. I am not up for tackling that at this point in time. That's where the real baggage comes in.
So, tell me, have you watched this series or read the book? Are you someone who holds on to things? Or do you live with someone like that?
