Are your things happy?

In my heart, I am an animist.  I think that things, all things, have spirits.  I talk to my stuff.  I name things (not as many as I probably should...but many of my things have names).  But somehow I never made the mental jump to thinking about how my things feel.

I've been somewhat entranced by Marie Kondo lately, and her thoughts on home organization and tidiness.  She definitely goes much deeper into minimalist ideology than I do, because I love me some stuff, but I really like how she approaches thinking about the things we do keep.

In many of the videos I've watched of her, she talks about asking yourself if your things 'spark joy'.  This is the yardstick that she measures whether or not a thing could be kept.  It's such a lovely phrase, and way of orienting yourself.  I appreciate that she also qualifies this for work-related things:  do they make your work easier or harder?  Things that make work easier are, in effect, sparking joy with your job.

But what I really want to talk about today is how she handles things, both things that are being let go of and things that are kept.  When she was helping someone clean off their desk, and there were things that were being tossed, she stopped, with each one, held it and sent feelings of gratitude towards it.  She thanked the things!

Then, in a video of folding clothes (because she has a whole method for that...), she touches each piece, running her hands over it, sending love to it.  You know, this is a really interesting practice.  I think that we don't often extend our appreciation to the stuff in our life, even if we feel it is vital!

There are so many things in my life that I would feel somewhat lost without.  And I do sometimes express my appreciation (my computer knows how important it is to me!), but not nearly as much as I should!

I know this sounds a little woo-woo, but think about it this way.  If, when you interact with the things in your life, you spend time thinking about how much better they make your life, then you appreciate them even more!  It's a simple way to twist the gratitude practice a little, to really feel the bounty in our lives, and to focus on what we have and our feelings about it.

And perhaps you will find yourself resentful about certain things.  Maybe you have some plates that you just can't bring yourself to thank and love, because you kind of hate them.  That is a clue that these things are actually bringing you down!  You probably don't like to use them, and feel a bit resentful every time you are forced to (or whenever you think about them).  Get rid of them! 

I can definitely get behind this kind of thought process.  I think that there is so much stuff in this world, that the stuff we have should make us happy.  Most things in life, we can get by without, or we can choose a different version of.  I have to have clothes (society says so!), but I can choose which clothes make me happy, make me feel good, and put me in a good mood.  I am starting to realize that I have things in my closet that make me resentful...because they don't fit.  And every time I think about wearing them, I am reminded that they don't fit.  If I try to wear them, they make me physically uncomfortable (because they don't fit...are you sensing a trend here?)  And all of that makes me unhappy with myself!  I need to get rid of them, and buy different clothes, that make me happy when I choose them (I do have many clothing items I love...just some that need to go!)

Of course, there may be things in your life that you don't have a choice about.  Perhaps you have medication that makes you a little sick, but saves your life.  You know you have to take it, and on some level you are grateful for it...but you also sort of dread taking it.  You always grimace and try to get it over with as quick as possible.  Would turning your thoughts around change how you feel about your pills?  Would focusing on how they help you, instead of how they hurt you, help mitigate those feelings?  I don't think that our mental attitude can cure all ills, but I do think that the more we strive to focus on the good in life, the more we think about the benefits, the less anxious we are about the bad stuff, and that can create a big change!

One thing that Marie said, I think in one of her books (I heard it in a video someone made about her methods), was that she suggests asking yourself if your things are happy.  For example, when going through your closet, you are going to ask which things spark joy, but also look at the situation in your closet and ask if the clothes would be happy living there.

I know we are back in woo-woo land, but bear with me for a moment.  It is easy for clutter to accumulate.  My closet is half organized, and half "where can I shove stuff so that it won't fall all over."  My actual clothes are all hung up, by type and color.  And everything else in the closet is contained in bags or boxes, so there isn't just piles of stuff.  But if you open most of those containers, it's very chaotic in there.  I definitely have way more clothing than I actually wear. 

So are my clothes happy?  What makes things happy?  I would say I probably need to thin out my closet a bit, let go of the things I don't use.  And tidy up the surrounding area (I actually don't like it when piles add up, or when my stuff isn't organized, so I can definitely see my stuff not liking being all jumbled up with other stuff).

But let's think a little more outside the box.  What makes people happy?  We typically like our senses to be experience pleasant sensations:  things that look pretty, colors that are pleasing, enjoyable scents, delicious tastes, lovely sounds, interesting textures.  Now, how many of those things are present (or logical...) in my closet?

I do okay on the visual side, as I said, I like things to be tidy, and I'm a bit particular about order, so having things organized by color is pleasing to me.  And, I actually have some lovely cedar wood in my closet to help it smell nice!  Sound is sort of tricky.  I do go into my closet when hubby is sleeping sometimes, so adding bells at the top are out (though I think that would be fun!).  And having a good tasting closet is just weird, so I don't think I have to worry about that one!  My clothes are all things that feel nice to touch (I really do kind of refuse to wear things that make me feel uncomfortable if I can at all avoid it).

But you get the idea.  If I were to go through my house, a little at a time, and see what things spark joy, and then think about if my things are happy...the energy in my house would change!  When I interact with things, taking a moment to give them thanks not only makes me appreciate them even more, but it helps keep me mindful about the things I am using (and how they might feel...it all cycles around!)

These are ideas I am just coming into, but I am excited to work more with them.  As I said, I'm an animist, I believe my things have spirits, and I like my stuff, I want it to be happy!