#Middlebury #TransferStation #MarieKondo
By BRIDGET HENRY
There is a lot of buzz these days around the best-selling author Marie Kondo and her book about the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing. Her simple instructions come with this basic guideline: If an object brings you joy, keep it. If it doesn’t, get rid of it.
I am not typically one for self-help books or trendy lifestyle advice but I have to admit, I was drawn to this new organizational method. In particular, I was attracted to the words “joy” and “get rid of it.” So, I googled Marie Kondo and did some reading.
It took only a couple of paragraphs for me to realize that Marie Kondo’s brand of organization wasn’t for me. You see in Marie Kondo’s world, I was supposed to be drawing joy from objects in my home, getting rid of the ones that weren’t bringing me any.
My organizational method is a lot simpler, however. Throw something out and bam! Instant joy! In my world, joy doesn’t come from things. Joy comes from getting rid of them.
In fact, spend a little time in my house and you will soon find that things don’t stay around very long. When Mark and I were first married, he would come home from work and ask if I had gotten the mail. I would look at him incredulously and gently remind him that the mail had come over four hours ago. Why would there still be mail around? (Duh.) I open the mail. I read it. I get rid of it. Joy. It’s that easy.
(Disclaimer: I will admit that in my pursuit of joy and super clean counters I may have thrown away a couple of important things but mostly, I have joy. And super clean counters.)
Fast forward to 2007 and our move to Middlebury. Little did I know that my joy of getting rid of things was about to be taken to another level. Middlebury opened a whole new world of joy for this girl born and raised on curbside trash pick-up. What was this foreign thing they called a transfer station? What do you mean I bring my garbage there? Although initially a little skeptical of the whole “put-your-garbage-in-your-car-and-take-it-somewhere” thing, I bought in. And Saturday mornings at the Middlebury transfer station began.
Instantly I was hooked. The place was a paradise for a girl like me. Electronics, bulky items, clothes, recycling – you name it, I could get rid of it. And I didn’t have to wait until garbage day. My trips became frequent and I found more joy, not only in the throwing out but also in the friendly waves from the men who work there and the friends and neighbors I often crossed paths with. Marie Kondo has nothing on Middlebury. Turns out, throwing things out also can bring joy.
I may have come here for the low crime rate and fantastic schools but I am staying for the transfer station. It’s not just garbage. It’s a lifestyle. And a joyful one. As always, I am happy (and joyful) to be Somewhere in the Middle (of a run to the transfer station) with you.
