The KonMarie method

Igamogam

You speak/write lots of thought provoking sense iQ.........just like the other Q on here;) - something in the name???? Your little snippets and insights into your own kondoing experiences are keeping me going and making me feel it will all be worth while in the end............and I am sooooo looking forward to that moment..........the 'cool breeze' through my echoey calm clean and easily managed house:D

Clutterfree

iQueen wrote: »

Yesterday, I was heading from a meeting with my lawyer, which had given me some joy.

A man with a clip-board approached. (Ugh, more intrusive questions!) But, no. Even before he spoke I felt his peaceful calm.

As I waited he explained that he was a Hare Krishna monk. He had hair and was dressed in ordinary clothes. He told me that there was a local Ashram in our small town and I would be welcome to visit it at anytime. He handed me a leaflet and said "Gouranga". Apparently, it means "Be happy!" I repeated it.

I've just looked it up and will be saying it every day, whether kondoing or not!

Gouranga, Konverts! :j

Gouranga! I've seen this written on the side of flyover bridges when travelling on some motorways or A roads. I always wondered what it was!

iQueen

Thank you, Igamogam. If anything I say is helpful to others, I'm happy. :dance:

Many posters notice that they are changing themselves, as well as their homes. Some don't notice or possibly aren't interested in the 'woo factor', which is fine. My 'insights' are based on personal experience and the fact that kondoing has led to further LBs, based on previous ones. All good, so far as I'm concerned.

It can be difficult kondoing, and some OPs experience disturbing reactions, with the dust of long-buried feelings. Some of these can't be dismissed with the usual simple explanations on hoarding websites.

Just as we are dealing with the physical Stuff in our homes, we need to deal with the dust-covered thoughts, feelings, and experiences from the past that are tainting our present happiness. It really is a case of 'holding and looking at' these things, seeing what they are to us now, and discarding them (to the past) appropriately, instead of recycling them! We could even thank them for what they have taught us! :rotfl:

Not sure that my username and GreyQueen's are connected in the advice we hand out - she seems to be way ahead of me with 'living the joy' - and I had a 20 year start! Just wish that my garden was as tidy as her allotment, so I could plant veggies and fruit!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Craftyscholar

Three bags of old paperwork (OU course stuff, notes etc) to recycling and arranged to donate some books to a university library at the weekend.
Realised I really need this stuff out of my present and future life.

Blue_Doggy

I'm one of those who have been finding the Kondo Road emotional.

My recent lightbulb moment was to realise that a lot of the clutter was acquired as a disguise to hide the real me. The floaty romantic clothes, which never really suited me and my lifestyle gave me few opportunities to wear; the "must read" books which I didn't enjoy and maybe never even finished, etc.

Also not having much money to buy books when I was young meant that when I had more I bought books almost greedily. Those books had a purpose, though, which was to help heal the pain of insufficiency, and the ones which are not joyful can be thanked for giving me that comfort and sent on their way to help someone else.

I think, for me, a lot of the acquisition of "stuff" goes back to a perceived lack at more appropriate life stages.

However, shedding the disguise is hard, because it's got stuck onto real me and has to be taken off gently or I'll tear.

The whole lot of Stuff taken together has been either a place to hide in or a cloak of invisibility when life has been tough (sometimes both!). However, I can't stay in hiding all the time, and the road out is Kondo.

Because the Blue Doggy Kennel has got into a really, really bad mess (I've invited no-one in for two years), my most recent Kondoing activity has been to venture into the Areas of Doom with big boxes gathering the various categories together for dealing with, and making space in the garage to shift pieces of surplus furniture into until that can be assessed for joyfulness or otherwise.

Apologies for such a long post, and I hope that some of it is comprehensible .

mrs-moneypenny

Redlady..... wrote: »

Is it alright to put old VHS videos in the household bin?

I've done lots of Kondoing but am stuck with these videos, which aren't even accepted by charity shops now.

Our council tip with the recycle bays has a bay specifically for vhs tapes. Maybe you could see if your local council offer that service.

Just in from work so gong to have a look In the kitchen and see if anything leaps out at me in an unjoyful way.

Gentle hugs to all who are finding the process of kondoing difficult and emotional.

I'm finding I'm feeling much lighter and happier as I shed possessions I'm not as far along the road as some of you but I'm sort of combining it with the art of brilliance by Andy cope and Andy Whittaker which is basically all about choosing to be happy and being a 2%er. Apparently only 2%. Of the population are up there in the tigger category of bouncing about with happiness and positivity. I will never be that far off the scale of it but I'm choosing to be happy with my lot and grateful for what I have and am now of the opinion that less is definitely more.

THIRZAH

Have just discovered a large box of paperwork from when DH was a school governor 15 years ago!. It's all going to have to be shredded.

mrs-moneypenny

THIRZAH, to save you shredding it could you not contact the school and ask if you could take it back in to be shredded with their confidential waste. The school are happy to shed our old governance paperwork.

CKgeordieinlondon

Hi all

Happy to be back on the Kon Marie wagon.
A few years back I bought a parka from M&S. It was supposed to be waterproof but the first time I wore it in the I ended up soaked through and nearly had my phone (which was in the pocket) ruined in the process. It was a particularly heavy rain but still, I expected a £60 raincoat to cope. I had every intention of taking it back to M&S but never got around to it. Eventually it made its way into the “cupboard of out of season coats”


It was eventually replaced with a lovely lightweight waterproof from Peacocks costing all of £6.99. Unfortunately I left that at my mother in laws the other week so needed a short term replacement. So I pulled it out and I tried it on and it looked dreadful. I must have lost weight as it completely buried me.

So I asked the question “Do you bring me joy?”
The answer: “Of course not, I hate you. You don’t suit me, you’re not fit for purpose, you were a waste of money and a constant reminder that I should have returned you, but didn’t want the hassle”

Into the recycling it goes I hope they rip it to shreds

Who knew having conversations with your clothes could be so cathartic:o

PollyWollyDoodle

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

I'm one of those who have been finding the Kondo Road emotional.

My recent lightbulb moment was to realise that a lot of the clutter was acquired as a disguise ....

I think, for me, a lot of the acquisition of "stuff" goes back to a perceived lack at more appropriate life stages.

However, shedding the disguise is hard, because it's got stuck onto real me and has to be taken off gently or I'll tear.

The whole lot of Stuff taken together has been either a place to hide in or a cloak of invisibility when life has been tough (sometimes both!). However, I can't stay in hiding all the time, and the road out is Kondo.

...

Apologies for such a long post, and I hope that some of it is comprehensible .

That has brought tears to my eyes because it's so accurate for some of my feelings.

Thank you, BlueDoggy and may your kennel soon be a place of joy and rest rather than a hiding place!