It's January, which means everyone and their mother seems to be making resolutions, or at least talking about making resolutions (did you make one? Have you broken it yet?). Usually resolutions involve some sort of diet or a commitment to a healthier lifestyle, am I right? I've heard a few people talk about a new workout regiment or a cleanse they're trying in an effort to start the new year in a healthy way.
It got me thinking—while I don't want to participate in a food cleanse per say, I do like the concept of detoxifying your life and starting fresh. What about a cleanse that involves something other than food? What about a cleanse of the literary kind?
My aparment has recently become a storage unit for the following: books I'm currently reading for pleasure, books I've read for book club, books I've hauled with me from college and graduate school, books I've acquired at street sales, stoop sales, dollar bins at bookstores, and books that have been given as gifts or loaned to borrow. I also may have one or two books that I rescued from someone's garbage (I know, I know).
In addition to books, I have piles of magazines, catalogs, letters, recipes, and work-related reading material taking up space. (Note am not a hoarder, I just like to read. And if it's any consolation, said reading material is organized in neat stacks, not in crazy mountains of paper like you're imagining.)
So I'm thinking a literary cleanse might be good for me. And I mean this from an organizational standpoint and in terms of quality of content, too. I do not need to waste a half hour flipping through AARP Magazine, which I'm confident is suppossed to be delivered to my neighbor, not me.
For the apartment clutter situation, I'll start by making piles (more piles!) for what to "keep," "toss," and "donate." And for the prioritizing of reading material, from this day forward I am officially strict in my literary screening process. I'll think long and hard about what I want to read in the first place, and if it's not good for me (ex: See's Candy catalog, trashy romance novel), it's out.
What about you? Would you try a literary cleanse?
image via slightlyeverything
