I Kon Do It... Eventually

It's easy to get rid of things when there is an obvious reason for doing so. It's much more difficult when there is no compelling reason. - Marie Kondo

Thanks (I think) to being snowed in at scrap camp a few weekends ago, I now have a KonMari mentor. She talked and I listened. I had nowhere else to go!

If you recall from a post in the new year, the de-cluttering KonMari Method is a state of mind – and a way of life – that encourages cherishing the things that spark joy in one's life. Belongings are acknowledged for their service – and thanked before being let go, should they no longer spark joy.

Key words there are "let go." In other words: downsize, declutter, organize.

So my mentor suggested I watch Marie Kondo's show on Netflix to get the gist of the method before simply labeling this "spark joy" business as hokey, corny, stupid, whatever.

Unlike my usual attempts (using that word loosely) at decluttering, she doesn't do the one room at a time To Do List. She goes by category of items and says we must tackle these in order:

• Clothes
• Books
• Papers
• Komono (a.k.a. miscellaneous items)
• Sentimental items

Well if we're starting by piling all my clothes in one place and finding which ones spark joy, I can tell you right now, if they still fit, I am joyful! So I am going to try to downsize my body a bit first. Then I'll get to that pile.

In the meantime, since I have to put my scrapbooking stuff away, I figured I should go through my arts and crafts lair and see what I really need and use, what I can toss, and what could be used by others (as in give away and out of my house free of charge)!

So I do have a full bag for garbage pickup in the morning. I would love to do something more noticeable for hubby to be impressed when he gets back from his current work trip (like the top photo). But maybe he's been keeping tabs on those dried-out rubber stamp ink pads for the past decade and has just waited to see me do something with them. You never know.

Well, yeah, you kind of do.

I did share with him my willingness to get started on this joyful journey. I think he'll have to see it to believe it. Now I just have to believe it so I can do it.