For those of you that have watched the Marie Kondo show “Tidying Up” on Netflix, you may have noticed that the show covers individual families cleaning their homes and determining what items to keep, and what to send off. Ms. Kondo teaches her students to show gratitude for the items they no longer need, for the way they served their owners, and then to let them go on to their next lives in the donation pile. Items that are kept are kept because they “spark joy” or serve a purpose in the lives of the owners.
In her article, 6 Steps To Spark Joy in Your Home After A Divorce,” Nadha Hassen reflects on her divorce when applying the lessons from Ms. Kondo’s show. She notes that there were some items she had to keep for a long while before determining if she would keep them or not. These items reminded her of her relationship and sadly, or the way that it ended. “How a relationship comes to an end,” she realizes, “determines how we think about it and how it impacts us moving forward. Regardless, whenever things fall apart or come together, any change offers the potential for growth” (Hassen, 2019).
Ms. Hassen encourages the separated and recently divorced to reimagine the items they keep serving them in a new way in their new lives as single people. She encourages those who cannot move out of their homes, whether for practical or financial reasons, to reimagine the old space, and to rearrange it so that it reflects who they are and what they want going forward. “Be gentle on [yourself],” and know that you will find joy.
To read the full article, go to: https://medium.com/@nadha.hassen/6-steps-to-spark-joy-in-your-home-after-a-divorce-31560c27b2e3
