DECLUTTER YOUR HOME

Decluttering Your Home

hen my husband suggested we move the blocky wood ve n e e r t a b l e f ro m h i s W bachelor condo to our shared home, I agreed, mainly because I assumed we’d replace it soon enough. But eight years and two kids later, I find it hard to imagine our home without it.

The table is covered in nicks and scratches.

It’s orange-brown but the imperfections show up in light yellow. It comfortably seats the four of us, but we can easily squeeze a couple more chairs in when Grandma and Grandpa come for dinner. For special occasions, it expands to fit twelve. We can barely open the refrigerator door when all twelve seats are full, but that’s okay. Limited fridge access has never interfered with the conversations and laughter we’ve shared with family and friends over Thanksgiving dinners, Passover seders, or birthday parties.

I’ve grown to love that table and the memories it holds.

Wabi- Sabi is the Japanese ar t of finding beauty in imperfection. Wabi-Sabi acknowledges that objects are beautiful, not in spite of signs of wear and tear, but because of them. Wabi-Sabi appreciates the way an object’s aesthetic appeal develops over time and with repeated use, inextricably linking the concepts of beauty and utility.

Though I never intended to embrace WabiSabi—I’ve only recently become acquainted with the term—I’ve inadvertently adopted this aesthetic not just in my kitchen but throughout my home. I regularly toss things I don’t use. I like how favorite jeans are have thinned at inner thighs. I delight in watching my daughters play with my Cabbage Patch doll. Thinking about creating a Wabi Sabi home of your own? Here are a few tips:

1Limit what comes in. According to Wabi-Sabi, the beauty in a piece is not in it’s shiny newness. Just the opposite, an object’s radiance is in the meaning and

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2De-clutter what you already own. Most of us have more stuff than we need or want. We hang onto things we’re saving for a special occasion, items we might need someday, and dust-collectors with sentimental value. For one reason or another, most of us have trouble letting our extras go. Here are a few tips for embarking on a decluttering mission: • Start small. In her book “Better Than Before,” Gretchen Rubin recommends committing to spending just ten minutes of any imposing task. Set a timer for ten minutes. If you’re drained after ten minutes, give yourself permission to stop for the day.

Decluttering Your Home

A SIMPLE APPROACH

by Pam Moore

If you feel energized and you have time, keep going. • Toss anything you haven’t used in the past year. • Remember that Grandpa wouldn’t want you feeling bogged down by the birdfeeder you made together, which is now taking up valuable real estate in a closet. Take pictures of sentimental items before letting them go. • Limit duplicates. If it’s hard to be objective about how many scarves (or shoes, hammers, or guitar picks) you actually need, ask yourself how many your neighbor needs and let that number guide you.

3Find beauty in what you have. Leonard Cohen wrote, “There is a crack, a crack in everyt hing. That’s how the light gets in.” Though he may not have had home decor in mind when he penned those famous lines, the idea behind them is consistent with the principles of Wabi-Sabi. Take another look at your things. Ask yourself if they are useful. Then ask yourself if they are beautiful, remembering that beauty isn’t necessarily the perfect home featured on your favorite design blog. According to Wabi-Sabi, an item’s beauty is in its scratches, its dings, its story.

When my husband and I were newlyweds, I created a Pinterest board called “home decor” and filled it with images of the kitchen tables of my fantasies. They were modern and sleek, with smooth reclaimed wood surfaces and hairpin legs. Unblemished, they beckoned me, promising a life just as perfect as they were if only I owned such a table. I haven’t pinned any new tables to that board since our first child was born.

I’ve come to appreciate our Wabi-Sabi table. Not only is it a functional table, but it’s where my kids have sat in their bouncy seats and their bumbo seats. We’ve clipped high chairs to that table and pulled booster seats up to it. We’ve fed our kids their first bites of banana and their first chocolate chips at that table. We’ve blown out the candles celebrating the first year, the fortieth year, and lots of years in between. I look forward to all the future birthdays we have yet to celebrate at that table.

Pam Moore uses her experience as an occupational therapist, Ironman triathlete, and marathoner to help women push through fear to become their best selves. To get her free guide to crushing Impostor Syndrome visit pam-moore.com

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