I, like millions of people worldwide it seems, have fallen under the spell of Marie Kondo. Just looking at her sparks joy. The Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has been a godsend this January, prompting many of us to reassess what it is we want to take into 2019.
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And it’s not that greying white t-shirt, nor 12 Brumbies caps, nor a sense of being overwhelmed by it all.
So one afternoon, I binge watched the series, culled two garbage bags of stuff, hit up Ikea (where funnily enough the storage section was full of women who looked as blurry-eyed as me, I know you had been Kondo-ing too), and went to bed with a sense of calm and order.
Here’s to plenty more of that in 2019.
Marie Kondo has been everywhere this month, on social media feeds, our screens, her new book Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up is about to be published.
Her idea, if you have been living under a rock, or perhaps all that clutter, is to ask yourself which of your possessions “spark joy”; when you hold it does it give the same emotion as when you’re holding a puppy? If not, it’s time to go, after you’ve thanked it for its place in your life. Move on.
It was quite an empowering process, as was defining joy. I kept a Star Wars t-shirt I bought the week Carrie Fisher died because Princess Leia brought me joy. I threw out jewellery someone else had bought me, so not me, which proved maybe they didn’t really know me in the first place. I kept a ridiculous pair of lacy red undies, which, while rather uncomfortable to wear, might spark joy in someone else when he finds them on my backside.
There were some hard decisions. A bag I had as a working mother when the kids were little. Big enough on mum days to hold nappies and snacks and Lego, a shoulder strap enabled me to hold two little hands as we crossed roads. Big enough on working days to hold all those things along with a notebook and recorder. I hadn’t used it for years, but the memories it evoked were good ones. Rather than donate it, I’ve found it a new home with a friend who’s going through that stage now.
And what to do with my wedding lingerie? It’s probably classified as vintage now, a few decades on, a white lacy corset thing with suspenders and stockings that has stood the test of time, unlike my marriage. What emotion did that evoke when I held it? Not so much joy, as regret perhaps, that I no longer fitted into it, the lingerie, nor the concept of marriage.
Part of Kondo’s approach is about asking yourself whether you want to take objects into your future. 2019 is going to be a pretty austere year I’ve decided. No more buying stuff. Saving dollars. I’m going to try and set up an opportunity to live in a tiny home for a while. Ask myself questions about what is actually needed to live an authentic life. Get things in order. And not just my wardrobe.
But the wardrobe was a start. And the next day I did the kitchen drawer. I have a favourite wooden spoon, and it sparked joy as soon as I held it. How many lunchtime treats has that stirred over the years, how many birthday cakes, how many warming pies. Thank you.
That’s it for now. I know I need to cull the books, the kids’ toys, the garage, the pantry.
I’ll get there, I know.
I know that I need approach other areas of my life with the same concept. Does this friendship spark joy, will this story I’m about to write spark joy, this meal I’m about to cook...
Thanks Marie, for your magic. May there be more of it in 2019.
