I Guess I Really am Tidy!

It turns out that I might just be a tidy person after all. Last month I wrote a column about not being a tidy person, based on the list of 5 things tidy people don’t do. I currently do 4 of the 5, so I resigned myself to the fact that I must not be tidy. With the onslaught of snow days this winter, I found myself watching far too much Netflix. After my February column, I was talking to my coworkers about my inability to consider myself a tidy person based on the blog post I referenced in my column. One colleague asked if I had watched the Netflix show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” I had not, but on snow day #9, boredom and curiosity got the best of me and I found myself binge-watching it. Marie Kondo is the organizing guru of the moment. She advocates keeping things that “spark joy” and getting rid of things that do not, (after you have thanked each item for its service). Marie then gives a bunch of helpful tips on how to organize everything from your kitchen to photos. She calls it the KonMarie Method ™.

1.     Commit yourself to tidying up

2.     Imagine your ideal life

3.     Finish letting go first

4.     Tidy is by category, not location

5.     Follow the right order

6.     Ask yourself if it sparks joy

I was inspired. Since I had already organized my closet on snow day #5, I was ahead of the game. I went in the bathroom and systematically organized and tidied until it was like a new room. Next was my dresser. Everything came out and only the joy-sparking items returned. I thought the whole “sparking joy” thing was a little hokey, but it turned out to be a good gauge when I was on the fence about what to get rid of and what to keep.  With the new way of folding, that Marie teaches on her show, I now have drawers that are arranged in such a way that I can see every pair of leggings I own simply by opening the drawer. It’s pretty amazing if I do say so myself. I organized my scarves and bathing suits in the same way using bins in my closet. What I discovered in this cleaning and organizing frenzy, was that I was a little hasty in my decision to reject the tidiness wave and my ability to join in. It took some coaching from a Netflix mentor and a few too many snow days, but I too can say that I’m a tidy person, at least for this month.

Why I'll never be a Tidy Person

Why I’ll Never be a Tidy Person

The title of a blog caught my attention as I wasted some time on my monthly Facebook
check-in. It’s called “5 Things People with Tidy Homes Don’t Do” by Cozy Minimalist.
That article was really intriguing to me, so much so that I haven’t stopped thinking
about it since I read it. I’ve always wanted to be a tidy person. I’m envious of people
who can keep their homes in a constant state of tidiness, no matter what time of day.
You know the type.
These are the people who don’t have to frantically vacuum, dust, and pick up when
some texts to say they’re dropping by to drop off this or that. Maybe you are that person.
I most definitely am not. But I aspire to be. So I read the article wondering if I could pick
up some tips for myself on what not to do, and therefore become a tidy person in the
process.

Here are the 5 things people with tidy homes don’t do:

Tidy People don’t act like a slob all day, and then get their house tidy in one fell swoop
Tidy People Don’t Run out of Cleaning Supplies.
Tidy People never let the sun go down on their filth
Tidy People don’t store things on the floor
Tidy People don’t over decorate

Some of these made sense to me, but some didn’t. I get that you can’t act like a slob all day and
then suddenly pull it altogether. I’ve been trying to walk around and pick things up as I go. That
stray water glass on the side table, or the dog toys on the living room floor are getting more attention
from me. I’m not sure about tidy people not running out of cleaning supplies. Doesn’t everyone keep
Lysol spray and toilet bowl cleaner under the sink in the bathroom? I might not always use it, but I do
always have it. I also wonder about number 5. I think by “over decorate” the author means “too many
nick-nacks.” Too much of anything can look like clutter. My problem here is more of an eclectic mix of
things that don’t go together, rather than too much. Number 4 surprised and shamed me all at the
same time. I am so guilty of storing things on the floor. I mean, if they are attractively arranged, why
can’t I keep my orange muscle roller and my Tru-Back next to the couch? As I write this I look over
and the neck massaging pillow is peeking out from behind a chair, and yes, it’s on the floor. Before I
sat down to write this, I picked up the dog’s toy basket and put it on a shelf, misplacing the magazine,
file folder, and iPad keyboard that had taken up that space. I replaced one tidy person faux pas with
another. I could add about 3 more to that list of what tidy people don’t do, because I’m a pro at what
not to do to be called a tidy person. So I guess I have a decision to make. I can either put forth the
effort to become a tidy person, or stop reading articles that make me feel bad about not being a tidy
person. Sorry Cozy Minimalist, I’ll do the dishes tomorrow.

Global Warming is Real

I am finally a believer in the theory of global warming. You are probably thinking to yourself
that it has something to do with the fact that I’m now over 50, but I can assure you that global
warming is for real. Not only global warming, but temperature extremes. For years I have
considered both sides of the issue, but between the cooler summers and long Northern
Michigan winters, I just couldn’t commit to the idea that our planet’s temperature is rising.
I  wasn’t convinced that the planet was warming when the entire summer stayed chilly.
In fact, I came up with an idea for a T shirt that said “Anxiously Awaiting Global Warming”
(when it was still snowing in April). Still, the theory of global warming is a hotly contested topic.
Depending on what side of the aisle you lean, you might not completely agree with one side or
the other. I know I didn’t. However, In the past few months I have been provided with the
evidence I needed to substantiate the existence of global warming.

Let me present the facts:

There have been increasing instances of fluctuating heat. I’m going about my own business
and suddenly it is so hot, I’m literally peeling off layers.

I have had to purchase thin pajamas because the sweltering heat that I’m experiencing in the
middle of the night has me drenched with sweat. Tom says he doesn’t know what I’m talking about,
but he’s just in denial. Global warming is real.

Even though winter is upon us and it’s been snowing like crazy, I can’t even look at my heavy
sweaters. If I’m not sweating in the morning when I’m getting dressed, I know I’ll definitely be
sweating when the temperature randomly increases at intervals throughout the day.

That being said, I can’t only blame global warming for this constant and unexplainable heat; I also
blame faulty thermostats. The thermostat at our house can’t seem to keep things at a constant,
comfortable temperature. One minute I’m snuggled up on the couch with fuzzy socks and a cozy
blanket, the next moment I’m kicking off the blanket and socks and turning on the ceiling fan.  It’s
the same at work. I’m cold, I’m hot, I’m cold, I’m hot. When I ask my co-workers if they are
sweltering, they say they aren’t. They must be in denial too. So take it from me, I wasn’t always a
believer, but now I am. There is such a thing as global warming, even if I’m the only one in the room
experiencing it.

Just a Simple Conversation

It started as a conversation. “You know, Grandma (my dad’s mother), was born in Petoskey.” my mom said. My parents were up for the weekend and we were driving in Petoskey to show them my son’s apartment. “I think maybe I knew that.” I replied. “Yes. They owned a bakery. I have a picture of it.” She continued. I told her that my friend, Jane, is Co-Executive Director of The Little Traverse HIstorical Museum and that she (my mom) should send it to me and I’d pass it along to Jane for her collection. I didn’t think anymore about it until a letter arrived in the mail with a two sided page with really old pictures of my relatives photocopied on both sides. The pictures were simply labeled with names, but no mention of a bakery, or Petoskey. Two of the pictures had a variety of people, including my great-grandmother on the porch of a house that looked like it was out in a grassy field. I chuckled a bit to myself and wondered what, in the heck, I was going to do with these photos. There was nothing that resembled what I would imagine to be a bakery and certainly no evidence that the picture was taken in Petoskey. A couple of weeks later, I was working with Jane and told her the story of my grandma and the photos. As I described it to her, she said

“What was your grandmother’s name?” As I told her the name, she began tapping on her computer. “Did she die in 1999?” she asked. “I think so, but I’ll have to go look at the obituary to be sure.”

The very next day, which was a Saturday, I heard from Jane. She texted me a picture of an excerpt from the 1914 Petoskey City Guide. It read:

HENRY BROS (Glenn and Percy), Fancy and Staple Groceries, Flour, Fruits and Smoked Meats, 627 Grove, Tel 265.

I can’t even describe how exciting this was. Percy Henry was my great grandfather and Glenn was his brother! One moment I was a transplant to this area. A down-state girl, living in Petoskey by chance. Now, suddenly, I had roots here. I had to go to 627 Grove. I had to stand in the spot where my grandmother was born. Unfortunately, 627 Grove doesn’t exist anymore. After about 1919, the house/store no longer appears in any insurance maps. I asked Tom if he would go with me. So we plugged it into the map app on my phone and we wove our way through downtown Petoskey until we found the little corner lot, now fenced in with tall shrubs, and I stood there, and felt it. My roots. The Petoskey area went from a place where I live to a place I can truly call home. And it all started with a conversation.