What Gives Me Joy, Anyway?

By Jane Farrell

Chances are that youΓÇÖve taken a look at your closet and thought, “IΓÇÖve got to get rid of some of this stuff.” A good rule of thumb: If your clothes are so squished that you canΓÇÖt see between them, youΓÇÖre in trouble. And IΓÇÖm in trouble, along with (IΓÇÖm sure) millions of other Americans.

Along comes Marie Kondo, whose book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is a bestseller thatΓÇÖs garnered upwards of 13,000 reviews on Amazon, most of them positive. Kondo, a Japanese authority on decluttering and organizing, recommends throwing out, one substantial group at a time, the things that do not give you joy.

Great idea; never mind that the title of the book alone stresses me out. But I can see the point. Whenever I look at my closet, I can see lots of things that no longer give me joy; IΓÇÖm ready to do it!

But then I take a closer look and find that even the ugliest blouse I own (purple ΓÇô yes, purple) suddenly gives me joy. I canΓÇÖt possibly get rid of it. And so all the way down the line – the gray cardigan I no longer wear; the black skirt IΓÇÖve had since 2008. All of them joyous. So how come I donΓÇÖ t feel very joyous myself?

I think the secret might be that although tidying up can be magic, itΓÇÖs never easy. And if itΓÇÖs easier for you to get rid of one or two things at a time, so be it. Ask a friend to help you, and vice versa. ItΓÇÖs guaranteed that sheΓÇÖll have a better eye than you.

So IΓÇÖm going ahead with my tidying up, although I prefer KondoΓÇÖs other word, ΓÇ£decluttering.ΓÇ¥ IΓÇÖm starting small ΓÇô say, five items at a time. ItΓÇÖs a time-consuming process, but if I donΓÇÖt do it this way, IΓÇÖll never get it done, and my clothes will still be squished.

IΓÇÖve set this Saturday as my start date. IΓÇÖm taking my items to Goodwill; foremost among them will be the ugliest thing I own. Goodbye, purple blouse ΓÇô may your new owner find more joy in you than I did!