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Embracing the KonMarie Way

I said I wouldn't do it. Heck I even cracked a joke or two about it while sarcastically saying "Does that bring you joy?" The truth of the matter is, the KonMarie way actually makes a lot of sense! I hadn't heard of Marie Kondo and I scrolled right past her show multiple times on Netflix. The next thing I knew "Marie Kondo" became a commonly used verb and the KonMarie way exploded all over social media. Therefore, I was intrigued.

In a way, I've always been a lot like Marie Kondo, just not as extreme. I get a lot of my cleanliness, organization and hatred for excessive clutter from my Dad. I am very thankful for those values instilled in me by our own personal "Mr. Clean," because growing up, he always made sure we had a clean and organized place to call home. From my college dorm room, to our first home, to the home we have now, I have always strived to keep it clean, organized and "tidy." Here's the thing though. The man I married is a keeper of stuff. I knew that before we said "I do" and I've always tried to push him outside of the emotional attachment he has to things and the "what if I need it someday" mentality.

Here's where things took a drastic turn. Brace yourselves. My husband watched the very first episode of Tidying Up and all of a sudden, it's like something clicked. I didn't even ask him to watch it. So I was very proud of him to say the least. The next thing you know he's going through his closet, his dresser, his stashes of random crap and we started to tackle our basement together. We've been talking about renovating our basement for years. YEARS. However when you continue to bring random things home, continue to store unnecessary things and never throw things away, it becomes impossible. The stuff literally takes over.

We started going through everything we own and getting rid of the excess. I could feel the neighborhood judgement when looking at the amount of garbage bags we sat out on trash day, but it felt so liberating! Seriously! Not only did the KonMarie way bring us together as a team rather than my constantly wishing it would all disappear, but we are making huge strides and both seeing the potential that we have in our home. It feels pretty darn good!

Here are a few things I've learned while embracing the KonMarie way.

1. Patience is a virtue. Unfortunately this isn't something that can be done in one day or a weekend. It is a gradual process that I don't feel will ever fully be complete.
2. My kids play with their toys more. Eliminating the millions of tiny pieces and the random items that they sifted through to find the toys they want to play with makes a huge difference.
3. I feel more at peace when I come home from work.
4. My husband has a newfound appreciation for clutter-free living. Thank goodness!
5. We've written down new goals for our home and it's incredibly motivating.
6. It's okay to let go of some of those sentimental items.
7. I find myself making far less impulse purchases for myself and my home.
8. It's a lot easier to clean house with less stuff.

Am I saying that Tidying Up will change your life? Nope. But I do think you should have an open mind to the idea and just watch that first episode! I'm very glad that we did and look forward to what's to come for our home and all of the newfound space we have to enjoy! Hello basement home gym!








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