After a great craft evening with friends the topic of de-cluttering came up. It is something I actually enjoy doing, I love that clear feeling after things have been released, though I have to say that I also have the ability to swing between determined de-clutterer and happy hoarder when it comes to craft and books!
Anyway, the next day one of these friends was telling me about a book she read by Marie Kondo and how it was a different way of thinking about the whole de-cluttering thing. Essentially the Konmari method (Marie Kondo’s method) boils down to this:
1. Tidy in one shot.
2. Sort by category not location.
3. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
Now it was the bottom point that got my attention. Kondo says that instead of deciding what to get rid of we should be viewing our possession as if we are discarding everything and deciding what we want to keep – what brings us joy.
Letting go of some books.
This really hit a chord with me and I thought what if I applied this to other aspects of my life? What if I only ate the food that brought joy to my body (in a healthy way that is) rather than focusing on what not to eat? What if I only spent time with people that brought me joy rather than trying to make things work with everyone? What if I only read what brought me joy rather than what I felt I should be reading? What if I only partook in activities that brought me joy rather than worrying about missing out? Would it be too self serving or completely revolutionary?
I’m not saying it would be easy or even possible with some aspects of life. I’m just throwing it out there because it really struck me that when I viewed my life as if I had to get rid of everything it made me focus on what was really important. The fact is that while all the extra yummy treats are nice, extra activities and the extra things for the home are good there is very little of them that I actually need. The important things which bring me joy are few and often free – time with my husband and kids, a run with the dog, crafting, reading a good book and learning new things -everything else is a big bonus.
I love ideas that ‘rock’ my thinking like this. Ideas which make me revisit the way I am living. It has given me lots to think about and I just thought I’d share in case you like those kind of ideas too.
Hope this finds you looking for the things that bring you joy.
Arohanui
Y
Becoming Healthy 