The Tao of Martha

I read another book! I’m on a roll! That’s two summer! (I realize that I am the only person my age who considers this a legitimate accomplishment, I would provide an excuse to avoid judgment but I am fresh out of excuses for this one)Image may be NSFW.
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Anyway, this book had my name all over it for two reasons: A) I live for Martha Stewart, she is the ultimate, and B) I read something by Jen Lancaster last summer and loved it. Lancaster has a series a memoires about various portions of her life that revolve around certain themes or challenges. In this book she is in the process of rebounding from a particularly challenging year and makes a new year’s resolution to follow the “tao of martha” to both build some skills and restore some self purpose. I’m all about this.

The style of writing is so relatable to me because I feel like she’s talking to me like we’re best friends. I think if we met each other we would have plenty to talk about because we watch all the same shows, have similar personal priorities, and we are both firmly in Camp Martha (not to be confused with Camp Oprah). I love that she divides women in Camp Martha and Camp Oprah. Oprah’s people are about living your best life and having pajama parties with your best friends. Martha’s people, on the other hand, are more goal oriented. They focus on accomplishments. She points out that Martha doesn’t have a bathrobe. When she wakes up in the morning, she immediately gets dressed for the day. I love it! I’m the same way! (full disclosure, I have a bathrobe, but I never wear it in the morning, I either immediately shower and get dressed for work, or get right into my workout clothes)

So Lancaster spends the whole year working through various areas of Martha’s domestic empire from broadening her cooking repitoire, to working in her garden, to planning the perfect party, to re-organizing her kitchen cabinets, to re-decorating her guest room. Not only does the experience broaden her own set of capabilities, she learns a lot of lessons of efficiency and perserverance in the process. She doesn’t keep a strict schedule and her projects kind of eb and flow based on her moods throughout the year, but she ends up finding a lot of value in the exercise overall. She stuck to her resolution for the full year and ended up with a much cleaner, more efficient household and life when all was said and done. Another reason to bow down to the all knowing Ms. Martha Stewart.

In the process of unpacking and setting up my new apartment, I have had a few occasions to consult Martha myself. Here are some of the fruits of that consultation: my picture hanging. It’s not quite perfect, but I think its damn close.Image may be NSFW.
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