Marie Kondo your Life
Like the rest of the internet I’ve been jumping on the Marie Kondo Cleaning bandwagon. Her philosiphies on “stuff management” have not only helped me reduce my belongings, but have allowed me to get rid of the “guilt objects” I had in my life (you know the ones - the objects you have, don’t want, but can’t get rid of as they drown you in guilt)
If you’ve not heard of Marie Kondo, one of her biggest philosophical cleaning concepts is to only keep things and acquire “new” objects that spark joy. For me this feeling can be loosely described as positive emotional energy brought upon by looking at and or thinking about the object in question. I’ve taken this idea of "Sparking joy” into other areas of my life, and the difference it’s made is incredible.
Food:
I’ve always had a difficult relationship with food, both in my bodies reaction to certain foods, but also my ability to finish a plate/lunchbox of (what my pallet perceives as) “plain/boring food”. It’s been a journey, but I’ve finally found both easy portable lunch food and quick easy cook at home food that sparks joy on my tongue and in my bowls.
Dating:
Something I’ve noticed during my flirtations with online dating is that it can quickly turn into a self validation people collecting game. Once a week I clear my inboxes of any conversations or matches that do not “spark joy” I’ve found this helps me from feeling overwhelmed and allows for a less emotional rollercoast-ery experience.
Op shopping:
I love love love love love scouring op shops for unusual fashion treats. I also love taking a garment home then attaching it with my sewing machine and turning it into the clothing of my dreams. I’ve had to create a really firm boundary with op shops. If the attire to be altered does not spark enough joy to be altered in the next 24 hours it does not accompany me home. This has massively reduced my “alterations pile of shame” and therefore sewing clutter!
Marie Kondo wasn’t kidding when she said there’s a life changing magic in tidying up.