Sorting Books for Joy!
Tackling a Marie Kondo Tidying Festival is like climbing a ladder. Each step of the ladder gets you closer to creating a peaceful, calm home.
The bottom rung on the ladder is clothing. Clothes are generally less complicated to assess when determining what to keep and what to give away. Deciding what clothes to keep is sort of a practice session for the more difficult decisions to come.
The second rung of the Tidying Festival ladder is books. Books can prove to be a bit more challenging to assess. For some, books are just information. While for others, books are faithful companions – they cheer us up when we are down or lonely or just need an adventure. Certain books can become like family or dear friends that we have loved all our lives and who we’d never dream of giving away. Obviously, these books we’d want to keep. Others have served their purpose and are no longer needed in our lives.
To start, Marie Kondo recommends removing all your books and placing them on the floor. Even if you have loads of books, take them all down. When doing so, sort them into categories- informational (cookbooks, how-to guides, etc.), pleasure reading, spiritual, etc. Taking them off their shelves wakes them up and brings them out of “hibernation.”
Next, pick up each book and hold it in your hand. Does it give you a thrill? Marie Kondo describes that thrill as the book actually emitting a spark of joy. Is this a book you want to take into your future with you? For those books you never read, think about why it’s on your shelf. Marie Kondo says this about unread books, “If you missed your chance to read a particular book…even one you have been intending to read for ages, this is your chance to let it go. You may have wanted to read it when you bought it, but if you haven’t read it by now, the book’s purpose was to teach you that you didn’t need it.”
Once you’ve decided what books you want to keep, pack up the rest and thank them for their service. Move the books out and let them bring joy to someone else. Local libraries often accept books (for their sales), as do book depositories. Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, and Goodwill also accept books. If the book is a first edition and in wonderful shape, try selling the book.
As for you, the joy and freedom of having and caring for only those books that you treasure or need will be a tremendous reward in itself. Then you are ready for the next wrung of the ladder.