July 21--I've found so much joy lately in a tiny piece of plastic called a Bobino.
It's a cute, flexible spool around which one wraps any one of those cords piled and tangled in a drawer somewhere.
Colorful and uncomplicated, the spool has a tiny notch to secure the cord and pliable arms, which function kind of like crab claws, to ensure it does not unravel.
At $3.99 for a medium-size one, I don't think there is any object in the world that is as cheap and makes me as happy. My husband and I own some two dozen of them.
Before publicly declaring my affection and venturing into Consumer Reports territory, I decided I'd better do some research. Maybe there are better alternatives? Or tips on how best to tidy one's electronics drawer that involve no expenditure at all?
That's when I discovered that I was way behind on the whole link between tidying up and joy. It's actually a trend. No, it's an industry. It's so big, it has become a verb.
Kondo-ing.
To "Kondo" (verb): 1) To choose what to keep or throw away by holding each and every item, pondering it and asking: Does this spark joy? If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it; a homage to Marie Kondo, author of "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up."
Whoa. Only keep the things that bring you joy?
I would throw out almost every piece of clothing I owned. Everything except the few I have that are designed by Maria Pinto, the clothing equivalent of a Bobino: uncomplicated and chic.
Hundreds of old CDs would go, which once bought me great joy and now just backdate me.
I'd sell the china, even though the dishes are an heirloom.
Staying would be all of the books. They remind me of two things. First, that I no longer have to sell them like I did in college to make ends meet. And how my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Richardson, sparked my love for reading and how books opened the world to me long before I could afford to explore it myself.
I'd also buy more Bobinos.
"I chose this standard for a reason," Kondo writes. "After all, what is the point in tidying? If it's not so that our space and the things in it can bring us happiness, then I think there is no point at all. ... Are you happy wearing clothes that don't give you pleasure? Do you feel joy when surrounded by piles of unread books that don't touch your heart? Do you think that owning accessories you know you'll never use will ever bring you happiness?"
Sounds so rational and inspiring. Right?
Until I read that Kondo does not approve of downgrading clothes to loungewear, such as wearing a ragged T-shirt on weekends.
All of my old class lecture materials would have to go. I paid thousands of dollars for those lecture materials! What if I need a refresher on standard deviation?
Also taboo: balling or bunching socks because they "take a brutal beating in their daily work, trapped between your foot and your shoe, enduring pressure and friction to protect your precious feet. The time they spend in your drawer is their only chance to rest."
Sounds crazy.
Then again, stained T-shirts are gross. The Internet can explain everything, including standard deviation. And there is a "Kondo" way of folding socks that is better than balling.
For ankle socks, a YouTube video demonstrated Kondo setting one sock on top of another, visually dividing it into thirds, folding up along those lines and then standing it up in the drawer. The socks are stacked similar to how ties are displayed in some fancy clothing stores, semi-rolled up and pressed against each other.
The folded socks take up a third of the space of a bundled pair.
It's like a Bobino but for socks.
If this all seems a bit much, at a minimum, please stop using twist-ties.
mmharris@tribpub.com
