Dear Marie, It’s Not You, It’s Me

Dear Marie,

Confession – I’ve never read your book.

But I need you to know it’s nothing personal. Actually, it’s your message of “sparking joy” as to why I gave your book away.

Let me backtrack.  

Two years ago I was given a gift at Christmas. I was told by the person giving the gift it was a very special gift, just for me.

You see, the months prior to Christmas I had been spending a lot of time helping this person through a personal issue. When I was told about this special gift, I thought“How sweet, a thank you gift for the past few months I’ve given.” While I was not expecting anything, my mind did jump to a sentimental, meaningful gift.

Nope. That’s not what I got.

What I opened was your book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I’d never heard of you or your book prior to this moment and so, as I said before, it’s nothing personal, but my heart dropped. I wanted to run in the bathroom and cry. This was not the sentimental thank you I was privately anticipating.

Being that the gift was given in front of others, I did my best rendition of a fake a smile, laugh and a big thank you. But on the inside, I hurt, opening this gift and reading the title stung.  

As a working mom, I thought I was doing a pretty decent job of managing my businesses, raising kids, being a supportive wife, preparing meals for my family, keeping a tidy enough home, finding time to helping others and still being overall happy with life.

I let that book sit on my nightstand for a few months. Then I moved it to a bookshelf. I always said I would read it one day because by this point you were receiving rave reviews. I even bought the audible version thinking I might be able to listen to it better than read it.

But the truth is, every time I saw this book, I felt the hurt from the day it was given.  

Over time, through memes on social media and other headlines, I learned that a big message in your book was to only keep things that brought joy to your life.

I LOVED this idea. As a dietitian, it is an approach I use both personally and professionally with food and nutrition, so applying this idea to “stuff” made sense.

I realized I had to give your book away because, no matter how small it was, how little space it took up, or how life-changing the content could be,  the experience associated with it simply did not spark joy.

And so, while I never read your book, you have given me permission to give away things that bring up no so joyful feelings … even when it was a “special” gift.

Yvette
Yvette has a pretty simple philosophy: feed yourself well on the inside so you can live well on the outside. New Orleans native who has called Lafayette home for the past 10 years, she knows how important food is to the Louisiana life. Wife to a LSU football and duck hunting fanatic, mom to two busy girls, and mompreneur with her own business, keeping healthy and sane is essential to balancing the juggling act.  A graduate from Louisiana State University, Yvette is a registered dietitian nutritionist for Eat Fit Acadiana and creator of Foodspirations.  Her passion of inspiring women to show up and rise up, facing both the beautiful and messy pieces of life, embracing all they are, and putting the best version of themselves out in the world. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here