Poetry Friday: Tidying Up

An admission: I tried listening to Marie Kondo’s book on audio. I didn’t make it past the first few chapters.My favorite idea from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was de-cluttering not by area, but by theme or object. I can picture myself gathering all of the candlestick sets we received for our wedding 28 years ago, choosing one or two favorite pairs, and donating or giving away the rest.(Crystal candlesticks must have been a hot item in 1991. We have at least five pairs, plus a few more in ceramic.)That’s as far as I got. It’s not that I don’t need Kondo’s guidance – or *some* guidance. I do. We have lived in our house for almost 20 years. The children we raised here are now out of the house. We’re due for a massive declutter. Maybe I’ll give her television show a chance. I love home renovation shows, and decluttering is a renovation of interior spaces.Friends who are Asian-American have pointed out that much of Kondo’s advice and celebration of minimalism is rooted in Japanese culture. Some of her critics have misunderstood that piece, especially when it comes to book collections. There’s an article on that topic here.Meanwhile, I came across a poem from Judith Viorst’s new collection. In this meditation on “stuff,” Viorst touches on the push and pull of down-sizing a home that’s been filled with music and books.My StuffBy Judith ViorstThe trouble is I really love my stuff,Especially the stuff that’s stashed in my basement,Like that trunkful of 78s that I haven’t listened to in over seventy years,When the Andrew Sisters rang “Rum and Coca Cola,”And Sinatra sang “Full Moon and Empty Arms,”And I forget who sang “Chattanooga Choo Choo,”All of them played on what we called a VictrolaIn the sun parlor — always my childhood’s favorite room,Where built-in shelves held my Oz books, The Secret Garden,The Count of Monte Cristo, the Nancy Drews  …Read the rest of the poem in Grace Cavalieri’s (Maryland’s new state poet laureate!) review of Nearing 90 and Other Comedies of Late Life, by Judith Viorst. Scroll down to find the review.Bonus: If you’ve never seen George Carlin’s routine on stuff, have fun watching this today. It’s one of his best.