HEART AND SOUL: Finding joy in the simple life

I AM not sure if you have heard of the KonMari method of tidying. It comes from Marie Kondo, who asks the question, 'does it spark joy?'

Marie Kondo. Picture: Denise Crew/Netflix

I AM not sure if you have heard of the KonMari method of tidying. It comes from Marie Kondo, who asks the question, 'does it spark joy?'

I first came across the question when I saw a post about a person who tossed away all their bills because they did not spark joy. It was obviously a tongue in cheek criticism of the method. I mention this for two reasons.

The first is about tidying, and clearing out, the focus of this little article. I am a stereotypical male in that I do not have a particularly large wardrobe, and am happy to wear clothes long past their "best by" date, but I knew I had more than I needed.

So my closet was targeted for a clean out. In defence of the rest of the family, they had already done theirs.

Very quickly I managed to fill a large black garbage bag with clothing, and I learnt some things.

1) Unless I plan on turning the back yard into a small hobby farm, I probably don't need 15 gardening shirts.

2) A rag is not a gardening shirt if it wont protect you from the sun.

3) Suits that I could wear when I was barely in my 20s, are probably no longer helpful after one too many good meals and not enough exercise.

4) Just because it was fashionable in the 90s, doesn't mean it is still a good look.

And most importantly

5) Not only did I have more than I needed, I had more than I wanted, and more than I should have.

For me this became an exercise in reminding myself of the simple prayer, 'Lord help me to live more simply, that others may simply live'.

Yes, I could have made this an article about wage slaves, and terrible working conditions, but in my experience, sometimes you need to bring it closer to home, to realise that you are being controlled by stuff, rather than stuff being a resource for living richly in a global community.