The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up by Marie Kondo

Kondo is a de-cluttering and organizing consultant from Japan.  In this book she shares her attitudes and secrets for bringing your life in to beautiful order.  Her main suggestion is to keep only the things that give you joy and that by eliminating a large proportion of your possessions you will have a more orderly life.  When I told my sister I was starting this book she said it had some good ideas, but that Kondo herself was a bit "cray cray." As I read on, I could see what my sister meant.  Kondo is what someone might call an animist, or someone that believes all things have a spirit and feelings. She advocates greeting your home with a cheery hello when you get back from work, and thanking your possessions and clothes for all their hard work during the day etc.  It was a bit weird, but I did feel like I got a lot of good ideas from the book.  I have already thrown out some clothes that I knew I didn't like, but kept hanging on to, and reorganized my underwear drawer following her folding technique.  The book also reminded me to feel grateful each day for what I have, even if I don't thank my purse verbally for its efforts in my behalf.  I guess the book is like a garden of fruit.  Take the pieces you want, and leave the rest for someone else. (2013 p. 2014)