To decorate my desk in the office, I got Marie Kondo's stackable glass drawers. I went through some real hassle to get them. Since they had been discontinued, I couldn't order them online. I had to order them from the Container Store in Staten Island, then get them picked up and delivered via Uber!

Why did I go through that hassle? Because I enjoy Marie Kondo's “character development”.

In her essay about chadō, “the way of tea”, in Letter from Japan,1 Kondo reflects:

I'm probably the only person in the world who has ever fainted from the stress of tidying. My obsession with discarding things I didn't like led me to discover the joy of keeping items that spark joy—a lightning rod of an idea that changed my approach to tidying. Starting a family and becoming a mother taught me the importance of compromise and self-compassion. … My journey of tidying continues.

Kondo is understating a bit here.2 Since having her third child, she confessed:

Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times. I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.

Even “the Sen no Rikyu of tidying” cannot fully control the messiness of her children. Parents quipped; I found myself amused. Overall, I appreciate that practical compromise of tidiness, so I proudly display her glass drawers on my desk.

  1. among the pieces of art seemingly directly targeted at me ↩︎

  2. perhaps Japanese people have a tendency to understate, e.g. “the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage” ↩︎