I am a magazine junkie. My undergraduate major in journalism school
was magazines—other options at the time were newspapers, TV, or
advertising. I still love these periodicals. They are useful, easy
to flip through, and have beautiful pictures. A picture of food (or
beautiful sunset) on Facebook or your cell phone can't compete with a
richly colored double page spread in a physical paper product.
Although I'm supposed to be ready to tidy up my books—after
postponing that category for papers—I decided it would be best to
clear out my saved magazines. I thought if I cleared out some room
by discarding them, it would open up more space for the books I
wanted to keep. My magazine library focuses on three major subjects:
food/entertaining, decorating, and travel. These subjects and these
publications still bring joy even though most of them are hidden away
in cupboards that I only open when I'm cleaning.
My really secret vice—well not so secret anymore—is that I have
the first twelve years of Traditional Home magazine. And I
have moved them from large suburban home to post children condo to
retirement home, and from Illinois to Wisconsin to California. But I
did promise my husband that our cross country move would be the last
time I moved them. I also have lots of old Gourmet
issues and
now that it's defunct, who knows, my collection may be valuable.
[See previous blog comment about paper maps. I sometimes live in a
dream world.]
I discarded very few magazines, but
I did a great job of reorganizing them so I could fit other things in
the family room cupboards. I did discard twenty copies of the New
Yorker from 2003. I was never
going to sit down and read the interesting and well written but very,
very long articles. I was saving them to while away a rainy
afternoon, but it never rains in southern California. The cartoons
were still funny, but after a few laughs they had to go.
My
saved food magazines include Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooking
Light, and Cook's
Illustrated. Every year about
this time, I bring out their November issues and put them on an
easily accessible shelf so I can thumb through them for Thanksgiving
ideas. When our children were young, I always hosted the family TG
dinner and sometimes had twenty-one family and friends at a series of
tables that extended from the dining room into the living room. Now
I'm lucky to have six to help eat the turkey.
I also set
out all the December or Holiday issues of the food magazines, and
those of Traditional Home, New Mexico,
and Phoenix Home and Garden.
Not only do they inspire me with pictures of others' decorations,
but these issues expand my own experience of the happy season.
have not been the best tidy-upper according to Marie Kondo's
expectations. Some of us are not able to let go of everything and
live a minimal life. But I do think my life and its objects are
coming under better control.
One problem she does not address in
her book, is seasonal gifts. I have started collecting presents I
want to give family and friends for Christmas. They are now spilling
out all over my office, which I had just cleaned of unhappy papers.
Eventually, I will set aside a time to wrap and mail them but in the
meantime, they are taking up space.
Next week I hope to start on books.
I know I won't finish them in one attempt. And I'm afraid they are
going to be like my magazines. It will be hard to find any that
don't bring me joy.
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