Fear. Illness. Isolation. These are some trying times.

Right now, many of us are spending way more time at home than usual, either because our schools or workplaces are closed or we’re trying to be caring human beings who won’t unintentionally infect vulnerable members of our society through unnecessary contact.

In times like this, tidying up can provide some comfort.

Hear me out.

Tidying:

• keeps your mind and body busy, and that is priceless when you are prone to saturating your brain with a 24/7 cycle of bad news.
• is something you can do as a family or on your own.
• gives you control over the look and feel of your environment and changes it for the better, which is a good thing when you’re going to be spending a heckuva lotta time in that space while you’re on social lockdown.
• makes you grateful for the abundance, memories, and beauty in your life.
• helps others when you give away the things you don’t need that could be invaluable to someone else (as long as they are properly disinfected and safe, of course).
• allows you to be more mindful.
• helps you understand yourself better, namely what you need and what gives you pleasure.

“Tidying up is far more than deciding what to keep and what to discard. Rather, it’s a priceless opportunity for learning, one that allows you to reassess and fine-tune your relationship with your possessions and to create the lifestyle that brings you the most joy.”

Marie Kondo, “Spark Joy”

Marie Kondo talks about tidying up as a way to hone your sensitivity to joy. If you do the KonMari method of tidying up, you spend time with every item you own and figure out which ones spark joy. As someone with loads of items, I can attest that you will become a master at snappy joy-sparking once you’ve had to evaluate that many objects and learned to discern what makes you happy or what feels crappy.

I’ve been using some of my homebound hours to read more books about tidying, hoarding, and cleaning. (What can I say? It’s my jam, man.) I’m also taking this opportunity to do some tidying up because things invariably creep into my collection, either through gifts or purchases. Going through my stuff every so often is my way to restore equilibrium and see what needs to go so that my true loves have the space they need to shine.

Remember, Things Can Be Different, and it is never too late to start. Any step in the right direction, no matter how small you think it is, is still one step closer to the life you want to live. And that’s magic.

Hope, joy, and plenty of handwashing,

Rachel