A Way, Not The Way

You know how we are all so excited to get a new idea from someone we trust? THE coziest sweater. THE vacuum to beat all vacuums. THE routine to make school mornings run perfectly.

And you know how disappointed we are when we buy the thing, or implement the system and IT DOESN’T work?

I can’t stop thinking about this as it relates to the home and organizing. That there is no real ONE WAY to do things. One organizer will say, “A knife holder in a drawer is THE way to organize knives.” Another will say, “I ONLY use magnetic strips mounted on the backsplash to organize knives.” Who do we believe? How do we know the right way?

As much as I want there to be ONE RIGHT WAY to organize, it just doesn’t exist. There are a million variables: Number and ages of kids in the home. Income. Square footage. Mom’s tolerance for chaos. Dad’s tolerance for things getting moved around without his knowledge. Special needs. Aging parents. Access to supplies. Time constraints. Emotional barriers. On and on I could go. 

I once saw a piece of artwork in my friend Erin Moon’s home that read, “Use your sanctified common sense.” Can I get this artwork made into shirts and tattoos??  Because this just might be THE answer and I don’t want to forget it. We have got to use our common sense when it comes to organizing. Should we fold unmentionables into tidy little packages? Should we store lots of overflow food items? Should we have timers to help our kids focus their time? The answer may be an enthusiastic YES to these questions. Me personally, I am never going to fold undies. They go in a square container in the dresser drawer, and I call that good enough. BUT, is it wrong to fold them? Absolutely not… not if it meets the sanctified common sense litmus test. If it brings peace to you, FOLD THOSE UNMENTIONABLES all day long. It really could be a contemplative practice for you. And that makes it completely worth it.

— Tara