Time for spring cleaning and decluttering? But what about books?

Abstract

Dear Readers,It’s that time of year again. Suddenly, our attention turns to housecleaning and sorting through all manner of stuff that fills our closets, basements, garages, and every nook and cranny in our homes. In the spirit of cleaning up and getting organized for warmer weather, I was keen to read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. The book has been widely celebrated in the media and it was already on several bestseller lists by the time I had noticed and started reading it. I successfully applied the author’s “magical” method to an oversized storage closet in my home and was generally pleased with the result, but I had trouble following her advice when my focus turned to several boxes of out-of-print children’s books that had been stored in my guest room for years. Kondo advises that we should sort by choosing a single category like clothes and books, asking ourselves if these objects spark joy, and getting rid of them if they don’t delight us. Asking ourselves “What sparks joy?” is certainly one way of helping us decide what to keep, but to be honest, it was a difficult question when I applied it to books in my home. Obviously, not every book in my library “sparks joy” but as a category books bring me great pleasure, especially children’s books, so I couldn’t fathom how I could part with a single title. In this case, I decided to keep everything because that decision made the most sense for me. And believe me, I fully expect to eventually crack open those boxes of books if nothing else for the satisfaction of thumbing through some favourite childhood stories. In this busy season of tidying up, you may also discover boxes of children’s books in your own homes. If I may offer advice in this regard, it is simply to consider inviting your kids to participate in the decluttering process. That is, take time to discover what children’s books spark joy in their lives. If the books are not of interest to them, consider giving them a second life if they no longer “spark joy” for you or your children. Rest assured, if you make the effort to drop books off at a thrift shop, used book store, or the home of an appreciative friend, they will almost certainly spark joy in someone else’s life. Happy reading! Robert DesmaraisManaging Editor