Spark Joy

Everywhere I look online, people are Marie Kondo’ing their spaces. I got her book years ago and started to do the same but then… didn’t. Now it is all the rage. My Instagram story feed is absolutely filled with people organizing and purging stuff. Stuff that has us overwhelmed and feeling less than okay. Stuff that we are attached to and stuff that we have no idea why we have it.

The key strategy is to go through every item and ask yourself if it sparks joy. If it doesn’t, it goes. The concept is great and I will be participating in this very practice soon enough. But in the meantime, I am being very mindful of anything I bring into our home. I do not want to mindlessly purchase things just because it was trendy, on major sale, or sadly, to fill some sort of void. Stuff is what begets clutter and clutter creates chaos, not just within the physical dynamics of our home but also within our mental and emotional being.

Outside of this way of cleaning up our lives, I want to take the concept of “sparking joy” with me in all areas of my life. I want to do only the things that bring me true joy. I want to create a balance of stillness and adventure but only doing what sets my soul on fire. Doing things out of guilt or because I don’t want to hurt or disappoint someone else is not the way I am going to continue living my life. While I still tend to want to people please, it isn’t out of some misguided need, or guilt or just plain obligation. I genuinely want to make people happy and spark joy with and for them. And it is my wish that those in my life will be able to spark some joy with and for me as well.

From a little book of happy list making to exploring another town, whatever it is, big or small, I want to be sure joy is being sparked within me and those I love dearly.

I’m ready. I am made for more.