I never understood why people were so anti KonMarie. It seemed a graceful and gracious way to make a person's space more positive: remove unwanted clutter while making an effort to actively appreciate what is there and what is being removed.
Just about every time I see her, I give some kind of hand-down to my niece. She's almost a foot taller than me, but she is still skinny enough that some of my things look fantastic on her. This year, I gave her the leather jacket that I bought off of the street in Ecuador in 1995. I've kept it in great shape, but I don't have the shape to wear it.
As far as maintaining my own joy, I have a section of my closet that I set aside for clothes that spark joy for whatever reason. For example, I have a Kermit the Frog shirt from the Smithsonian. It makes me think of Dad. I don't wear it, I just look at it and smile. Since its presence still actively contributes to my happiness, I keep it.
I like your point about an absence of stress also contributing to joy. I hadn't really considered that thought head-on, but now that I am, I agree that removing stress is a good idea. It allows more room for joy to grow. And, in moderation, having stuff that removes stress is likely as important (if not more) as not having too much stuff. If having one more pair of jeans removes a worry, that's a good thing. (Having ten more pairs of jeans is probably excessive...)
I go back and forth about whether I can/should/do ascribe life force to inanimate objects and therefore thank them when they depart my life. The biggest example "for" is that I thanked my 10 year old Prius for its service when it died. The biggest example "against" is that I didn't do so for any other car I've owned. Hrm. Something to ponder.
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Just about every time I see her, I give some kind of hand-down to my niece. She's almost a foot taller than me, but she is still skinny enough that some of my things look fantastic on her. This year, I gave her the leather jacket that I bought off of the street in Ecuador in 1995. I've kept it in great shape, but I don't have the shape to wear it.
As far as maintaining my own joy, I have a section of my closet that I set aside for clothes that spark joy for whatever reason. For example, I have a Kermit the Frog shirt from the Smithsonian. It makes me think of Dad. I don't wear it, I just look at it and smile. Since its presence still actively contributes to my happiness, I keep it.
I like your point about an absence of stress also contributing to joy. I hadn't really considered that thought head-on, but now that I am, I agree that removing stress is a good idea. It allows more room for joy to grow. And, in moderation, having stuff that removes stress is likely as important (if not more) as not having too much stuff. If having one more pair of jeans removes a worry, that's a good thing. (Having ten more pairs of jeans is probably excessive...)
I go back and forth about whether I can/should/do ascribe life force to inanimate objects and therefore thank them when they depart my life. The biggest example "for" is that I thanked my 10 year old Prius for its service when it died. The biggest example "against" is that I didn't do so for any other car I've owned. Hrm. Something to ponder.