Tidy Thirties

I haven't written a birthday log in a while. I just haven't written in a while in general and fallen into the realm of blog oblivion. Between graduating from my program and job hunting, landing a job (take THAT business casual), and just working, I find my time limited. 40 hours out of the week is a lot.

I also turned 31 recently. It's interesting to go back into nether regions of this blog and read the depressing sentiments that I had over turning 23 or 26. Turning 31 was nice. I took the day off from work and spent the day at home with my dog while each of my sisters made time to come see me at some point in the day. The individual attention was a nice present. I also made time to clean up the house a bit. While it's not as impressive as taking a trip or going on a shopping spree, there is something to be said for taking time to focus on something that you've been wanting to do.

I was in San Antonio not too long ago to visit family but also to to meet new family as my little sister was having a couple's shower.  (For the benefit of those who don't know, it's essentially like a bridal shower, but for both the bride and groom. It's basically a bridal shower.)

A while back, I had bought The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo for my elder sister as a present. I'd been curious about that book so I was going to borrow it. After failing to find my sister's copy, I remembered that my mom has a knack for picking up things and so when searching my parents room, I, ironically, found a copy in a pile. This wasn't even my sister's copy, but one that my mom had bought from the thrift store. I picked it up.

Admittedly, at first it read a bit like pseudoscience. I'm thinking maybe some points got lost in translation. As I've progressed though, she makes a lot of good points like the futility in just doing a little at a time, or going room by room. I'm not reading this book to assess it's psychological value, but to learn habits to maintain a cleaner space and I'm already seeing a difference in my own habits and time management. For instance, I know that it doesn't take me too long to iron all my uniforms and put away my clothes right after I take them out of the dryer. It might be a product of my work environment as well - in a medical lab, you realize that you can get a lot done in one minute. Lately, I haven't had piles of laundry just lying around. The kitchen is always clean before I leave. I also find myself reflecting more on why there are some things that I keep that I don't wear. Catharsis is kind of magical.