Let’s face it, anyone can overthink things. Especially when it comes to de-cluttering.

How about going with the heart instead?  Finding the things in your house that spark joy?

That’s right.  Joy.  Pull out all the stops.  Open your dresser drawers, your closets.  Pull out all your clothes.  Pile them on your bed.

You could start with t-shirts.  Does this one spark joy?   Or is it crammed in a drawer that wants to spill out like the Pillsbury Doughboy’s waistline? 

And what about the t-shirt you did not know you even had?  The one a friend gave you — I Heart NY.  Yes, a Keeper.

Can you tell that I have read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up? 

Not only that.  I recently invited a young woman who is working to obtain her Marie Kondo certification over to my house.   That’s right.  A Marie Kondo certification.  Who knew?

I invited the YW to our house, and then told my husband he needed to disappear for the initial consult.

He scratched his head.  Did as he was told.  Wise man.

The YW was prompt, well-organized, neat and sparkly.  She is a former urban planner  who used to work with my niece.  Ah, family connections.  So important.

We chatted, discussed my goals.  “What are your Touchstones,” the YW asked me.

Simple — fun, blogging, writing, book club, creating vintage greeting cards, Fairy Tale Theater, travel, photography, collage.  “These are a few of my favorite things,” I said, channeling Julie Andrews.

We laughed at the vintage cards created from my family’s photographs:

The super-focused YW explained the Kondo process.   We started (and have not finished) with clothes, then move on to books, papers and sentimental items.  We agreed to meet every three weeks.

And the husband? I asked her.  

I was hoping to lock him in a closet from the get-go. 

Let me ‘splain:  I do not relish the idea of his dominating the conversation with logic and problem-solving.   I want a deep dive into the heart and intuition of the house and in my opinion women are better at this. 

Then I realized:  Whoa, sister.  We are both the hearth and home.  He is part of this too.  After twenty-five years together, you could say we both fall into the sentimental items category.

I asked the YW about her home and family.  Turns out that she and her husband have two children, six and nine years old.  And they live in a tiny coach house.

A coach house!  When I was single, I dreamed of living in one.  Forget  McMansions.  Give me the garret, the small space.

But this is a family of four and their coach house is only 750 square feet!  She and her husband roll out a Japanese-style mattress every night and pack it up in the morning.  The kids have bunk beds.

They are living the Kondo dream.  Sure hope it works.

I know that me and my sentimental  item will never attain such a spartan lifestyle.  Still, it is fun to dream about a coach house.