Monday, May 23, 2016

Rediscovering a Little KonMarie Magic

Some time ago- last year- I read the huge bestseller, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I did a lot of what Marie Kondo suggests in the book, and got rid of loads (and loads and loads) of stuff that no longer "sparked joy" in my life.  And it did indeed feel a little magical.  I never got quite all the way through the process though.  If I had, perhaps the real magic would have happened.  Regardless, I was really glad I did it to the extent that I did, and I found true value in it.  You can refer back to those previous posts here and here and here.  (Yep, I was pretty into it, and couldn't stop writing or talking about it...)

Marie says that once you tidy up using her KonMari Method, you really don't have to do it again.  And that's pretty much been true for me.  My clothes and other categories I followed through on have never gotten out of control since using her method! That's a huge accomplishment for me.

Now, nearly a year and a half later though, I felt like it was time to go through my closet again. I was ready to experience a little more magic and let go of even more things.  And who knows--- maybe this time around, I'll get through all the categories of items in my life.

While going through my clothes this time, I wasn't quite as thorough as I was the first time around because honestly, I didn't feel it was necessary.  (If you strictly follow the KonMari Method,  you take EVERYTHING out of your closet, drawers, etc by category put them in one central spot, and go through it all piece by piece, purging anything and everything that doesn't "spark joy".  I did this the first time.) This time, I went through my closet and drawers piece by piece, but without putting everything out on my bed first.  Instead of taking half of a day to "KonMarie Method " my clothes, this follow up session only took 30-45 minutes of my afternoon.

But look at all I was able to let go of today!...
clothes that were no longer sparking joy in my life
 I realized that although these clothes were sparking joy for me last year, they just aren't doing it for me anymore.  I know now how great it feels to let go of things I no longer care much about.  If I get rid of my brown skirt that I've worn often, but just don't love anymore, that means that when I run across a new skirt that is fresh and new and I fall in love with it, I can get it. Guilt free!  No reason to hang on to the old skirt just because I used to love it.  I don't love it anymore, but maybe someone else will.  So run free, Little Brown Skirt, and all the other clothes I'll be donating to Goodwill tomorrow.  May you find a new owner that loves you and will take you out to fun places the way I once did.

These clothes are ready to find a new person to love them!

Ahh... Magic! It feels great.

1 comment:

Minimalist Grocery List Maker said...

I love how you mentioned about reassessing what "sparks joy" for you. I think too many people see Konmarie as the be all and end all, but our tastes and sentiments change. I'm sure Marie Kondo would approve of what you're doing!