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Recently, in a webinar promoting her latest book, Marie Kondo has discussed how after giving birth to her third child last year she has let go of keeping her house tidy all the time. "Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times, I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home." The timing of this made me have a little giggle.
The kids and I spent a big portion of our summer holidays watching Marie's Netflix shows and giving the house a huge overhaul. For the first time since having my children, actually maybe even for the first time ever, everything in our home has a place. We organised, we folded, we let go of the things that no longer bought us joy and said thank you.
It's given me a new lease on life. Not only the refreshment of feeling organised and in control coming in to a new year, but the enjoyment of doing it with Stella (10) and Jed (8) and realising that when they were as little as Marie's children are there was no way in hell I could have made my house look and feel like this.
Tidiness and organisation have never been easy for me.
Stella asked me who was I and what what I had done with her mother when she opened the freezer and hall cupboard not to have an avalanche of hastily shoved item fall on top of her.
I had resigned to the fact that domestic goddessing was just not my forte. I am however completely attracted and inspired by beauty, and so Marie opened a box for me that made keeping my home in order not another job on the to do list, but something that brings me joy and reduces my overwhelm. She made me look at it differently.
Marie gave me a new little glimmer of possibility that maybe I can be tidy. The pillowcases might stay perfectly folded in little Japanese parcels. I may not be flawed! I've just been through a 10 year season of life where that sort of organisation would have been completely unrealistic. It's still possibility life will get too busy again. Maybe I will choose to watch a movie and have a cuddle with the kids instead. One of them may get sick, I may have looming deadlines and everything might go back to what is was.
I guess my point is with the release of Marie's headline stealing admission - that the seasons of motherhood change.
This is Marie's time to resign to the mess. To realise that the pressure of perfection is not realistic and to let go.
And this may be my time to be inspired enough to keep mine in check in a way that does bring me joy, thanks to one woman's inspiration at the perfect time in another life.