As mentioned a few posts ago I’ve re-located back to Seattle! For a while I considered this a temporary “stay”, but given the future is in God’s hands I couldn’t live my life in limbo so I decided to permanently re-locate and see what unfolds. ?
In the past, limbo was normal. In fact, limbo would have been the DREAM. I loved being on the go and traveling was a desired experience. Except this time around I needed rooting, and what better place than home?
When I first left Seattle to live in San Francisco all I brought with me was my car packed with a suitcase full of clothes, kitchen appliances like my crockpot and rice cooker (a girl’s gotta eat!), and even TP.. yes, toilet paper!
This meant that I kept my room exactly, and I mean exactly the way it was.
A lot has changed in the last few years and I’ve quite preferred the “spark joy” way of living.
What is spark joy?
Spark joy is a term coined by Marie Kondo of Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
I actually stumbled upon this naturally when I first moved to San Francisco. Having brought barely nothing but essentials I absolutely LOVED coming home to my new apartment and knowing exactly what was in the house and where they were.
It was almost as if it de-cluttered THE MIND.
Instant zen.
Ok so back to Seattle… ever since I mentally decided Seattle would be home I started to clean my living space in a maaaaaajor way.
You see, the home I am living in is actually a family home where our nuclear family calls “home base”, and we’ve had this home since the early 2000s. This dear home has been our home base for my brother and I, and whenever our family meet for the holidays it’s always our Seattle home or Korea.
Since we’ve had this home for so long it’s only natural over the years that things have accumulated. As family members have stayed a while and gone (myself included), more and more stuff has made its way into the home! This is life 🙂
And since moving back I’ve realized I have A) not only outgrown many items over the last few years, but B) have found that many items just don’t spark joy in my life the way it used to.
Over the last few weeks I have been pruning my living space and cultivating a new home of sorts that reflect more of who I am today. Words can’t express how freeing and peaceful this has been to see and feel each and every day.
I’m also preparing to move my final boxes of personal items back up to Seattle as well. These items I am not so concerned about as 95% of them spark joy in my life. I’m actually looking forward to reconnecting with some of them such as my books, crystals, and as it small as it sounds even my Himalayan salt candle!
If you haven’t yet done your spring cleaning yet I highly recommend giving it a shot. Even if you start by de-cluttering one corner of your living space you will feel a noticeable difference and lightness. Here are a few tips:
- Don’t try to go through everything at once; aim for a category such as shoes, books, or clothes, OR a small space in your home
- If you aren’t sure about an item ask yourself a couple of questions:
- Have I worn/used this in the last year? The last two years?
- When do I think I might need this again?
- Who can be better served having this item?
- If it is a questionable item put it back where it was and come back for round 2. You don’t want to waste your time or energy debating on an item when you can get through more with that time
- Remind yourself this is an on-going process and doesn’t need to be done in one day
Last but not least, ENJOY THE PROCESS! As Marie Kondo puts it, thank the item for the joy it has brought you or the lesson you have learned. Most importantly, feel into the lightness as you begin to visually see the space evolve and reflect who YOU are today ✨
Here’s to the magic of Spring and cultivating the highest space for YOU.
Namaste.