The Fully Stocked Bookshelf Fix
It all started with an email from a friend. We were comparing books, and she really liked Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Wha?? Is that even a real title of a real book? Well, yes, yes, it is. And I have read it. And, thus, began my tidying. I don't think I'm revealing any spoilers when I tell you that this book is about getting rid of stuff. And initially I laughed at the little ceremony the author tells her readers to perform in order to get rid of this stuff successfully. But when I was faced with donating something that had been a gift from a dear friend, I found myself muttering, "Thank you, gift, for bringing me so much joy on the occasion of my birthday 5 years ago. My frienship with your giver is a tremendous blessing, etc." and it really made stuff-releasement (I'm trademarking that phrase) so much easier.
Does everyone have that one room in their home where things go to die? That is my Study/Computer/Piano practice/Craft/Library room. Marie Kondo has a very specific order in which one tidies, starting with the closet. And I think this is why - if you start with your scary, Gremlin room, you'll run screaming, and nothing will change. So after tidying my clothes and feeling like I had the Eye of the Tiger, I boldly strode into the Scary Room. This was my book shelf.
I don't know if this image quite captures the chaos in which I was living, but it was bad, Gentle Readers, real bad.
My husband, who is truly a minamalist, but manages to live with me anyway, was totally on board to get rid of stuff. Have you ever started adding up the dollar amount of the things you are donating or getting rid of? Don't do it. It's too painful to consider that the amount you have spent on things you are now discarding could have paid for a trip to Disney.
Anyway, we threw away like mad people. But at the end of the day we still had a lot of books. We are book people after all, and that is not going to change. So I started looking on-line for some ideas for organzing shelves. Gah! All these pictures of zen-like shelves holding 2 books, a photo from that soul-reviving trip to the Amalfi coast and that marvelous flea market find from Paris. Who lives like this? Ok, I want to, but I don't.
And then I found The Glamorous Housewife on Pinterest. And she had written an entire article on just this subject - organizing a full bookshelf! I like this gal, and I wish she could do my whole house. But, alas, discovery of each other is only one way at the moment, so the glorious struggle continues, and I'm persevering on my own.
Can you see the difference? Trust me, this room looks so much better! I'm pretty sure my husband rolled his eyes at the color-coordination and books-in-a-basket, not to mention books stacked on their sides ("it's very in right now!" "eye roll"). I'm pleased with it. I'm also pleased that the rest of the scary room is following suit, and not looking so chaotic, but more "comfortabley-lived in". Is that a style name? Pretty sure I haven't seen it listed in Southern Living. So, these are the themes for my summer: tidying, organzing, and, hopefully, a little glamour.
