**Friday Favorites**
So many of my friends have been talking about Marie Kondo-ing lately (apparently, it is now a verb). Have you read her book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” or seen the series on Netflix?
One of the things that Marie talks about a lot in tidying up and decluttering is to ask if each item “sparks joy”, and to get rid of those things that don’t.
How often do we hang on to things for a reason other than joy? We keep that blouse with the tags on it that doesn’t really fit and has hung in our closet for a year because maybe one day it will fit and we feel guilty for spending money and not wearing it. We keep the piles and piles of children’s books that our children have long outgrown and haven’t touched for years because they remind us of another time and getting rid of them feels sad because our children aren’t little anymore. The antique high chair that belonged to my great uncle that my aunt said I can never get rid of. The drawers full of scrapbooking papers and supplies that I don’t use anymore (I prefer digital memory keeping these days) but might come in handy “some day”. The beautiful handbag that my husband gave me that I carried for a season but doesn’t quite fit all my “stuff”. The things that were nice once, but I don’t enjoy or use anymore, that I don’t want to throw away but aren’t quite sure what to do with them.
I could go on and on. I imagine that any of us could probably walk around any room in our homes right now and find at least 10 things that we no longer use or enjoy that we are hanging on to for reasons other than “sparking joy”.
Things can create powerful emotions by the way they make us feel when we own them or use them, or the memories they evoke of people we care about and seasons of our lives that have passed.
Things can make us feel sad or guilty or wistful or overwhelmed or sentimental or even angry. They can also spark joy.
I’ve been enjoying sharing some of my favorite things with you over the past few months, so I thought that for this week’s Friday Favorites it would be fun to hear from you!
Share with us in the comments something that sparks joy for you (and include a photo if you can)! It can be anything … your favorite kitchen hand towel, your favorite pen, your favorite beauty product, article of clothing, handbag, food, whatever! If you love it and it sparks joy within you, share it with us! Throughout the day I’ll pop into the comments too sharing a few of my favorites as well.
Happy Friday!