The life changing magic of reading a Marie Kondo book (except I'm still messy)

So I really want to say that The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was indeed life changing, but kind of yes, kind of no. Some things stuck, some didn't. Now I neatly fold my socks instead of scrunching them up, but I definitely still have piles of various things in my room that I have to maneuver around. The piles are now organized by type, at least.

Ignore the price sticker, it oddly sparks joy so it stays

One of the things that I didn't keep but wish I did was the idea of greeting your home. Chapter 5, "The magic of tidying dramatically transforms your life" has a sub-section called "Do you greet your house?" Kondo starts the section off by saying how she will greet a home whenever she starts a job there, and how maybe the habit started because the tense, expectant atmosphere when she first entered felt like when you pass through a shrine.

This is the first homework assignment I give my clients at my private lessons. Just as you would greet your family or your pet, say, 'Hello! I'm home,' to your house when you return. If you forget when you walk in the door, then later, when you remember, say, 'Thank you for giving me shelter.' 

I really love how she connects with inanimate things. She always seems to find some lovely little reason why your junk is happy you're throwing it out, or why it's okay to keep something embarrassing (as long as it sparks joy!). You read this book, and suddenly you're so invigorated and energized. It's a wonderful feeling to sit in. In a pleasant way, her own book sparks joy for me. I hold it in my hands and smell the glue smell (which is not the best, 6 out of 10), and it's this North Star. Suddenly, I am clean.

Beyond clean, even. I am cozy.

Honestly, her way of speaking feels almost poetic to me. She mixes in this beautiful personifying imagery into her words. What resonates with me the most in this short chapter is the following: If you [greet your home] repeatedly, you will start to feel your house respond when you come home. You will sense its pleasure passing through like a gentle breeze.