Tidying Up

Two weeks ago, my daughter introduced me to the Marie Kondo way of tidying up my closet. As 2019 starts, my daughter who was on semestral break from college has been tidying up her room and closet. She was inspired by Marie Kondo who is a Japanese TV personality that has a show on Netflix. Kondo visits households and let them tidy their clothes, kitchen, bathroom collections and sentimental keepsakes, among others in a way whether you hold on to things that spark joy or throw them away. The main objective of tidying up is to reduce your belongings in order to create space.

As for me, with the help of my eldest daughter I was able to arrange my closet and discard some old clothing that I feel less important to me. In the Marie Kondo way, there is a technique in folding your clothes in a way to maximize space.

After tidying up my closet, I was happy on the result as it was organized than it was before. I just hope that I will be able to maintain it throughout the years.

Pondering on what I have done on my closet I believe that there is also a way of uncluttering one’s self. First is to cleanse our thoughts and hearts from fear, anxiety, unforgiveness, envy, and other negative attitudes in life. We have to clean up the mess inside us. Fr. Joseph Galdon has said that “You’ve got to clean up all the hang ups and prejudices, and hatred and jealousy. Then when you have unpacked all the baggage, you can find God.” Thus, one must instill courage, hope, forgiveness, love, joy and other positive traits. By doing this it is hope that one will become a more loving individual and a much better person.

Below is a prayer from one of the authors of the book “Prayers for Good Times and Bad” about developing goodness in life.

“I believe that how I live affects those around me, Lord God. I do not speak and act in a vacuum. Whether I like it or not, my example will be followed by someone. For this reason, I believe that my efforts to develop goodness in my life are of vital importance as others look on. Help me, please to embrace good habits, good attitudes, and good principles by which to live, so that anyone who might choose to follow in my footsteps will enjoy the benefits of a life well lived.”

With that, may we be able to tidy up and discard not only our things at home but also ourselves of things that are useless. Let us live in a minimalistic way and cleanse ourselves once in a while so that contentment and happiness will abide on us.

A writer once said, “We’ve got to clean up the mess in the little room we call our heart, and then love can come and find room to visit.”