Growing up, people considered me a neat and organized girl, but I am and never was good at tidying, to simply put it. What most people don’t know is that my mom was a hoarder. She justifies this by holding onto something and saying, “We might need it/this someday.” Hand-me-downs from relatives are a regular thing. They would declutter their homes, possibly since they too accumulate many things, and give those to my mom, who gladly accepts them. I cannot blame her, to be honest. The quality of the items is often immaculate.
However, a drawback while growing up in this kind of household is that it somehow normalized acquisition rather than just having what’s important. Somehow quantity mattered more than quality. I never considered myself a hoarder since I always kept my things organized into boxes and tidy. Still, after reading Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I looked around my room and realized I have many things I own, I don’t even use or need. My room just appeared pleasant, but it was cluttered. I am also a heavy packer during trips.
“When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too.” – Marie Kondo
So the KonMari method, generally revolves around the idea of only keeping things that bring you joy or at least serve a purpose. She encourages people to go through their things one by one, feel them through and ask ourselves if it brings the owner joy. If not, it goes inside the disposal bag. I finished reading the book in one go, and I was so excited to start decluttering but thought to do it in the morning since it was two in the morning.
“The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own, identifying those that have fulfilled their purpose, expressing your gratitude, and bidding them farewell, is really about examining your inner self, a rite of passage to a new life.” – Marie Kondo
Clothes come first. I discarded two bags of clothes. I didn’t know I have outgrown those that do not spark joy even if it looks good. By the end, almost half of my closet was gone. Next are books I purchased but never read, books I used to love but no longer want to hold onto, and the gifted books. In the end, I only kept Nicholas Spark’s The Last Song, Lang Leav’s Sea of Strangers, an Aladdin storybook, and some self-help books I still find relevant.
The third is sorting komonos, which I found very easy since I don’t own much makeup or skincare, jewellery, etc. I just discarded those I no longer need, such as excessive stationery items, old wires, cables, etc. Lastly, I need to get through sentimental things, and I must say, I found myself feeling detached while doing this. I effortlessly discarded two diaries, old food wrappers, and memorabilia I no longer remember where I got from, gifts from people I no longer have in my life, and more. I honestly thought it would be hard and eventually regret it, but I don’t. Two months later, as I write this, and I still don’t. I sorted the bags I packed and had my siblings choose what they want to keep for themselves, then the remaining items are donated.
“As you reduce your belongings through the process of tidying, you will come to a point where you suddenly know how much is just right for you.”- Marie Kondo
You might be thinking, why would I share my whole decluttering experience, and as a matter of fact, I never expected a change of perspective after this. Maybe after we really let go of things, positive energy flows into our lives. So far, I am no longer having impulses to eat and buy excessively. I feel happier being surrounded by things I love. I began to feel contented and more inclined to practice self-care. I hope I would continue to live by this lifestyle as it made me more mindful of things.
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