WHAT SPARKS JOY FOR YOU?
One resolution of mine this year is finding joy and authenticity in daily life. I’ve given a lot of thought this holiday as to what sparks joy for me and what doesn’t. This not only includes home design items but also conversations and interactions. (Interpersonal areas are not my expertise, and therefore, I won’t delve into these topics!) Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about what sparks joy, how to be my authentic self, how to reflect that in daily life, and how to cull out the things that don’t support it.
Like many do this time of year, I take time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. I find myself going through these mental exercises each season, so please bear with me if I repeat ideas from previous New Year’s posts. This year, an insightful holiday conversation with the family started the gears turning.
It went like this…
ME: “I never know what to do with the gifted mismatched mugs that don’t go with the rest of my collection.”
MY DAUGHTER AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW: Both shaking their heads in disagreement with me. “What? Mugs are supposed to be mismatched!”
ME: “Really? I guess that’s not how I usually roll. I like mine to be white or clear and in a matching set.”
The following morning, I opened my cabinet to the randomness of new mis-matched mugs (yes, you guessed it. I gave into the peer pressure and put them in the cabinet!), and I found that instead of bringing me joy, it felt stressful.
That’s when it occurred to me: my daughters enjoy mugs with clever sayings and pictures, but that doesn’t mean they bring ME joy. I do have sweet ones given to me by special people, so I want to keep those. However, they don’t have to live in my morning coffee cabinet. I’ll think of another place.
Then when trying to put away all of the random ornaments from the tree later that day, I ran into the same problem. There were collected baubles through the years that I have hung because I had them, or due to some sense of obligation, but I wasn’t enjoying those. So instead I organized the matching collections, set aside the uniquely meaningful ornaments, and created a donation pile for the ones that have turned up over the years that I don’t even like.
Do you keep around items that don’t bring you joy? I guess I’m a big believer in the Marie Kondo Method. I read one of her books a long time ago and should probably remind myself of the details, but the key concept stuck: only surround yourself with things that spark joy. So, let’s do that! It sounds like a good New Year’s resolution to me.
What is Your 2024 Resolution?
Drop a Line
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