Spark Some Joy, Damnit.

Yes, it is 2019. The calendar turned, I FINALLY got over the viral and emotional cold from hell. New year, better me, and Netflix put up Marie Kondo’s new show. Let’s KonMari ourselves until joy is sparking out of our ears. I, along with just about every other bougie “not-that-young” anymore woman in America, watched about 15 minutes of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and decided that it was time for me to tidy up my apartment.

This happens every time the annual number changes over. We see this as an opportunity to completely change our lives and clean our houses. We’ll be better, stronger, thinner, more well read, and less stressed in this coming year. We attack with vigor, throw everything out that represents who we no longer wish to be, and shout positive affirmations from the rooftops and on Instagram.

Then, by mid month, we’re burnt out and back to ordering takeout and leaving our dirty socks on the bathroom floor.

We can sit here surrounded by our donate piles and lament about why we’re driven to do this… and believe me I have. And, I have come to blame either society or the patriarchy.

I’m leaving Marie and the tidying to the side for now, but staying with the notion that the nonessential things you keep should “spark joy”. Whether that’s physical things, emotional things, people, locations, attitudes… it should spark joy. This year, this blog is going to be things that spark joy for me. And if keeping up with a set schedule gets to be too much, it’s ok to let it go.

Here’s to 2019 being a hell of a lot better than the last year.