The Shed Notebook: Hey Marie Kondo: Bookshelves Full of Books Can Spark Joy!

 When I read Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up right after it came out, I did what any thoughtful reader does. I took the information that mattered to me and used it. Kondo's method emerged in popularity again recently when her series began its run on Netflix. Her philosphy is this: if something sparks joy in your life, consider keeping it. If not, get rid of it. I haven't watched the series yet, but I have seen lots of photos on social media of people motivated to organize shelves, closets, and junk drawers.
One area of decluttering that hit a nerve with book collectors was her section on discarding books. Many book lovers went into panic mode online about paring down their book collections to thirty books. "I love my books. How can I get rid of them?"  "A library of books brings me comfort". "Why thirty books?"

part of my writing resource collection

I reread her section on getting rid of books. She said she would only keep thirty books. Besides, if Marie Kondo suggests you get rid of books, it is a suggestion. Keep those books you book collectors, The Spark Joy police is not coming to your house any time soon. I have more than forty cookbooks alone and I have pared down that collection. The ones I kept spark joy, If The Boxcar Children brings you joy by remembering your first grade teacher reading it to you, keep it! The photo at the top of the post are all books I saved from my mother's home library. Each of them brought her joy. Will I reread them?  Maybe not, but I love having them close.

part of my poetry collection

Now I didn't take all my books and put them in a pile like she suggested. Mine are spread all over the house and in the She Shed.  I did revisit my book shelves and found books that no longer sparked joy.  I had books I had read, but didn't need to keep. Also there were books that were outdated, worn out, or damaged, Did I throw all of them away? No. Did I tear out the pages that had parts I liked? No. I gave them away or donated them.

part of my cookbook collection

I am not a minimalist. I like books to surround me. I have books I use for reference, cookbooks I read and use all the time, a collection of poetry books I reread often, and books that have sentimental value. I also have the pile of books I plan to read soon or someday. Today I did revisit the shelves knowing I am going to the thrift store tomorrow. I found some titles that weren't sparking that Marie Kondo joy anymore. Another reader can enjoy them.

Her philosophy makes sense, but each person is unique in how they declutter. What sparks joy with one person may not with another. I do recommend her book and hope to watch the series, but I am still keeping my books. Every single one of them.

Do you have books you want to donate? This list has some good ideas. https://www.moneycrashers.com/where-donate-used-books/

The Shed Notebook: Ten Reasons Why I Love January

January is an unpopular month for many people.  It is that letdown month after the holiday season. It is a long month that often brings on gray, dark days. Taxes need to be done soon,weather may slow down travel.  I am different. I enjoy January.

Ten Reasons Why I Love January
10: Snow usually covers all mess in the backyard left by dog toys, dog droppings, and dog bones.
9.   Snow usually covers all the weeds I didn't get cleaned up in the fall.
8.   I celebrate my birthday!
7.   We also celebrate Mom's birthday and work on keeping her memory alive,
6.   As tax documents begin to arrive in the mail, you only have to think about taxes.
5.   College basketball is in full swing. Go Zags!

4.    Winter photo walks produce beautiful pictures.
3.   It is a good time to show off handmade mittens, hats, and scarfs.
2.   It is a perfect month to just stay home and catch up on movies, reading, and writing.
1.   It is winter decor month which means my snowman collection fills the house with cheer.     

The Shed Notebook: The Trees of Winter

"Know that somewhere deep within the tree of winter 

there is still the life that produced 

last spring's beautiful leaves." 

Madame Jeanne Guyon

I drove around twice last week to take winter pictures. Because of my lack of mobility I didn't get out of the rig, so I tried to capture the images of winter from the driver's seat. A theme of trees emerged as I drove around and snapped pictures. Enjoy some images from a winter drive in Kellogg.

The Shed Notebook: Mary Oliver and Wild Geese

As many continue to mourn the passing of poet Mary Oliver, I have been reminded over and over through social media the poems she penned that had resonated with me. I reviewed my blog posts and reread eight posts I have written that included Mary Oliver poems. I revisted this poem today and decided to post it again. 

It is one example of how she could arrange words in a way that made perfect sense to the reader right away. The message wasn't hidden. There wasn't complicated language. She simply reminded us that the world does offer itself to each of us, it calls to us like the wild geese.

Wild Geese 

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-Mary Oliver

Sibling Assignment #203: The Corner Book Club: Lasting Happiness

Brother Bill gave the last sibling assignment of 2018.

"Write about a discovery you made in 2018 that brought you temporary or lasting happiness and, if is has, how this discovery helped change your thinking or our feelings about something in your life". Brother Bill's is here and siter Carol's is here.

Before I moved back to Kellogg I had been involved in two different adult book clubs, I led online book clubs for educators, book clubs as part of staff development at school, and book clubs with students. I really like to the idea of getting a group of people together for purpose of discussing the same book.  It is stimulating to get ideas, themes, opinions, and new thinking through this format of book reading and sharing.

When I decided to start The Corner Book Club in 2018 it was for many reasons, One reason was I wanted to open myself up to books that I might not normally read and genres that had been left unread. Also, I love being involved in discussion about a book that may stay just with the book, but may open up dialogue about life experiences, other books, and world events. I  also like to have a purpose for reading. I keep a notebook and take notes so I can remember quotes and ideas to bring up in discussion. Another reason for a book club is to swap book titles so your list of books to read before you die get longer and longer.

I wanted The Corner Book Club to be easy, not fussy. I wanted the club to be flexible so it worked for the members and their schedules. We meet in public places around the Silver Valley. Most of the time we meet for lunch.  We try to choose books that are available at the library or inexpensive to purchase. People are welcome when they can come, but we are trying now to have it a certain time each month so people can plan accordingly. We encourage members to come even if they haven't had time to complete the book.

I keep an ongoing list of books that we may want to read. Members of the group suggest books also. This group has brought me lasting happiness because I discovered that readers from completely different backgrounds and belief systems can come together and find common ground in a book discussion.

Here is the list of books we have read this year:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
book of choice with discussion
A Cry from the Dust by Carrie Stuart Parks
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Educated by Tara Westover
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
The Baker's Secret by Stephen Kiernan
Gift of the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg

We read nonfiction, memoir, travel,historical fiction, and essays. Some of us traveled to Moscow, Idaho in September to hear Tara Westover speak. Carrie Stuart Parks is a local author and she spoke at our gathering the month we read her book. I can't wait for next year dbooksiving into the books we choose. I know I will continue to experience lasting happiness.

Sibling Assignment #202 : Advice From Anne Lamott: Let It Be

Sister Carol gave the sibling assignment this week:

"Think back over the last year, and write about something you have either read, listened to or watched that has made a tremendous impact on your life.  Share about it, and why it impacted your life." Brother Bill's is here. Sister Carol's is here.

I had the privilege of hearing Anne Lamott speak in Spokane last April. It had a tremendous impact on my life. I have written two other blog posts about her and her talk and I will link them at the bottom. There are many reasons why this talk impacted my life. I will share a few:

She is very down-to-earth. She could have joined my summer writing group or sat down for coffee with my book group and fit right in. She has this ability to take big ideas and break them down into prose that makes more sense, yet carries a big punch. She makes you believe that being a good writer isn't as difficult to attain as many think. Here is an example:

“Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, ‘Well, that’s pretty much what I thought I’d see,’ you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.”

All writers want to be better at their craft, even if  the writing is a personal journal every day or jottings on a blog.  Lamott guides us gently into the writing process and helps us understand you need to keep "the butt to the chair" and there are lots of "shitty first drafts". There are lots of starts and stops. Writing is messy. Here she explains why writing matters: 

“So why does our writing matter, again?" they ask.

Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart. Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.” 

 Her journey of faith, though unconventional, guides ua to see that faith isn't a cookie cutter way of believing.  She has struggled with addiction, body image issues, depression, and failure. Her faith has carried her through many valleys and mountaintops and her series of books on faith illustrate how prayer, God, spirituality,and grace can be understood and viewed differently by each individual, and that is okay.

I have a few more of her books on my stack to read. I love to read her quotes on Twitter every day. If  you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend them. Here are the links to my other two posts about Anne Lamott.

http://gatheringaroundthetable.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-shed-notebook-bird-by-bird.html

http://gatheringaroundthetable.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-shed-notebook-anne-lamott-and.html