“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” —Marie Kondo

There is an apocryphal quote often attributed to Buddha, “You can only lose what you cling to.” Whether Buddha actually said those words or not, it’s a truism that makes sense with spring cleaning season upon us. More recently, there is another Asian philosopher with ample advice for the season of decluttering—her Netflix series is titled Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

Long before this Japanese organizing consultant became a televised phenomenon in 2019, she perfected her KonMari Method, a “life-changing” method for organizing. Her books teach that reorganization is an investment in ourselves. With more than 5 million copies sold worldwide, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo goes far deeper than seasonal cleaning.

I couldn’t resist sharing a few more of her quotes. “Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle,” Kondo writes in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. And from the same book, “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” 

With the KonMari Method in mind, let sparks of joy inspire your spring cleaning (and change your life). Do you have an interesting decluttering story? As always we love your feedback, and we welcome ideas for home and home-related articles to feature in future issues.