KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

MMF007

Not kondo-ing but my day might give you all a laugh -
Drove to a well signposted and well publicised church to take a look inside. Notice on door that key only available a limited times from an office miles away.
DH, who is an excellent navigator set us off across country and we saw beautiful Herefordshire in spring but then.....
Missed a right turn on to trunk road because it is only signposted from the opposite direction!
Followed signs for a nature reserve to find nowhere to park at all and the road was a dead end with no turning point! I reversed for about 1/4 mile
Turned off main road to take in more countryside to find this was also an unmarked dead end (sign said 'no vehicular access to river' not no through road!).

DH said he had lost the will by this time and i was fed up of turning round / backing up so we have given up and are sitting at a scenic viewpoint with a picnic, listening to bird song and relaxing

We did have a lovely visit to The Weir gardens, where we arrived in time to see the aftermath of a minor incident - someone had left their car on a slope without leaving it in gear and it trundled down the grassy bank, over a fence post and into the picnic area all by itself. Thankfully it was before most visitors arrived so no-one was hurt, except the driver's pride.

Just one of those days. :rotfl:

iamsalt

I have been enjoying your stories while I am away on my holidays,.

the first part is almost finished, no souvenirs bought, but plenty of cake consumed, one face cloth has been released, I deliberately brought those which were to retire, the others will retire once used and thanked on the next part of the trip.

Have a lovely weekend x

Floss

Does removing a large Ike@ rug and a wooden futon frame from our home down to DS2 & DDiL count as KMing? I am sure I heard our elastic-sided house breathe a sigh of relief as we left to drive to the big smoke!

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Charis, I like The Minimalists, too. There's a very good TED talk with them, with Joshua talking movingly about having to clear out his late mother's belongings - it isn't morbid, it's tender and funny and thought-provoking.

For all those who are in their senior years (I'm in my early fifties so not exactly a young gel myself) I would like to share a cautionary tale from my own extended family.

Picture this; a couple in their eighties, childless, home-owners for 60 + years WHO DID NOT HAVE A WILL.

They did have a large bungalow full of clutter and their nearest relatives are nephews. The man was in a care home with dementia when the woman fell down dead with an anerysim. At my mother's feet, as she was visiting that day.

A day on which this relation had said, as she had been saying for decades on an almost-daily basis, to our certain knowledge, that she was going to get things sorted out.

She did not get things sorted out. She was not long survived by her spouse, who didn't know which day it was and was non compos mentis. Their nephews had to sort everything out. One has a chronic illness which went into a severe relapse, due to the additonal physical work, worry and stress. The other had to take time out of his family and working life which he could ill-afford to spare.

Safe to say, the memories of the dear-departed were soured by this experience.

So, if we do nothing else, getting rid of a load of Stuff could be regarded as a loving thing to do for our families.

PollyWollyDoodle

So very true, GQ. I'm single and have no children, and although like you, I hope to have a few more years on the planet I'd like to leave my lovely nieces some happy memories. The worst legacy I can leave them would be a house full of Stuff that's neither useful nor beautiful!

If I'm stuck deciding whether or not I want something, I try and imagine them opening a cupboard and coming across it in thirty years or so. It helps.

Hope you all have a good weekend ahead.

camelot1001

Wise words GQ.

GreyQueen

Thank you.

I've come across other examples IRL of severe procrastination, but this is one of the worst, it caused such a lot of upset.

The decluttering guru Don Aslett suggested that about aged 50 is a good time to declutter with a view to passing on. Not because most of us are due for the grim reaper at this age, but because health, strength and eyesight will weaken and it will all become more onerous with each passing year.

I'm dreading one day inheriting the maternal hoard. It would be a job of work on my best year but to do it when grieving ........ !

It's a Saturday morning, and I will be going to my pal's shop for a few hours of kondo-magic. Who knows what we might find today, hmm?

silvasava

Bum - just lost my post!
Totally agree with you GQ. After clearing my Mum's house (who had a will and had done a lot of sorting) and MiL who didn't it really brought it home.
The new garden furniture arrived yesterday & we spent a couple of hours putting it together. Very pleased with the comfort & lightness compared to the old one. Managed to offload a 6ft cushion, a garden pot and three foxgloves to DS1.
Floss - anything that leaves the house permanently counts as Kondo!

Wednesday2000

I really like The Minimalists too.:) I've read their books and found them inspirational.

greenbee

My mum's doing a major clear out following my dad's death (he was a hoader... lots of cables to sort), and it is proving very therapeutic. We found his childhood diaries a day or so after he died, and last weekend I found the letters he sent to his parents during his gap year. These things have really made a huge difference to my mother who although feeling sad about my dad no longer being here realises that he made the most of every single opportunity and filled every day of his life.