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"Get rid of anything that doesn't spark joy." That's a cute idea, but there's chemotherapy medicine in the medicine cabinet, and it requires soul-searching to find the joy in that. I kept thinking, "Surely she'll address the hard stuff soon?!" I haven't found that part yet.
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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,
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Melissa
The author did address that, in a way. It is not the medicine that sparks joy, but the hope of beating cancer. And truly, if you don't hope of beating cancer, perhaps you should throw away the medicine and live the life you have now! My mother-in-law did that after about a year of cancer treatment. The last few months of her life were beautiful, and truly did bring her joy.
Only you can decide what will bring you joy. Follow your instinct!
Only you can decide what will bring you joy. Follow your instinct!
Stephanie O�
I think she's mainly referring to the 'stuff' we accumulate. Trinkets, tchotchkes, etc.; anything that's not necessary for survival. Shoe laces that you think might come in handy some day, the blanket that just looks dirty no matter how many times you wash it. Does toilet paper spark joy in me? Not really, but I won't be getting rid of it either.
Whitney
This is kind of a ridiculous question. I'm pretty sure that the author expects people to use common sense. Why would you tidy up your chemo medicine? KonMari applies to your medicine cabinet when you have 3 bottles of bug spray and you almost never leave the city.
Krystal
She listed four criteria that add value to an item when deciding whether to keep/discard:
1. Function
2. Information
3. Rarity
4. Sentiment
Though she never specify whether one should keep chemo meds, but I think it's pretty obvious.
1. Function
2. Information
3. Rarity
4. Sentiment
Though she never specify whether one should keep chemo meds, but I think it's pretty obvious.
Jessica
She does address the fact that certain things � like legal documents � do not spark joy, but are necessary to keep. However, there are plenty of areas (clothing, books, etc.) in which this philosophy is helpful for decision-making about what to keep.
Mariah
I agree. I think she approached it from a very....privileged view. I have a chronic illness and there's a lot of stuff that goes along with it. Her idea seems to be "get rid of the extra and just go buy more," and she in fact says "running out of something will never be a disaster" or something very similar. No, sorry, running out of saline flushes or alcohol wipes or shower guards WOULD be a disaster and I can't just walk to Walgreens to buy more. Plus, if I've already bought something, I'm da*n well gonna keep it, what a huge waste of money to toss it and just buy more when I need it.
Bakul
Mind you, just out of curiosity, I acquired a few Twinkies a while ago when the business went bankrupt. It was stashed somewhere in the pantry. With all the endorsements for saturated fat these days, I am sure that it will "spark joy" in my heart when I see them. So -- I can keep them! I just have to find them first.
MissJessie
Perhaps the joy you could find is in the fact that such medications, and the hope it engenders, exists. To me, that would be worthy of joy indeed.
Watching my Mother endure chemo twice, which nearly cost her her life itself, still made me thankful that such existed and she survived her Non Hodgkins Lymphoma both times. There's the joy.
Watching my Mother endure chemo twice, which nearly cost her her life itself, still made me thankful that such existed and she survived her Non Hodgkins Lymphoma both times. There's the joy.
Tresha
I'm astounded by the lack of empathy in people's responses to this question. It's a valid point. What does one do with necessary items that you don't enjoy? Is it truly practical to say I will only keep what brings me joy?
The OP has CANCER. Cancer - the life changing disease that is difficult and is not the same as your third-cousin's cancer, or your half-brother's cancer. If you yourself have not received chemo than you do not have a right to tell her she's feeling sorry for herself.
She can question the practicality of this author's advice, especially with the circumstances of her health.
The OP has CANCER. Cancer - the life changing disease that is difficult and is not the same as your third-cousin's cancer, or your half-brother's cancer. If you yourself have not received chemo than you do not have a right to tell her she's feeling sorry for herself.
She can question the practicality of this author's advice, especially with the circumstances of her health.
Amber
I have to agree she didn't put quite enough emphasis on the "things I obviously need" category. I think she may have been treating it as implicit that her services come into play where that category ends, but not everyone can clearly see the demarcation between "stuff I truly need" and "stuff that's extra." Everyone knows we need things like our meds and toilet paper, but not everyone can stop themselves from keeping piles of expired meds and extreme caches of toilet paper.
As I read it, I mentally replaced her "Does it spark joy?" test with a three-prong test: 1. Do I need it? (Really truly need it, not "might need it someday") 2. Do I use it regularly? 3. Do I love it?
As I read it, I mentally replaced her "Does it spark joy?" test with a three-prong test: 1. Do I need it? (Really truly need it, not "might need it someday") 2. Do I use it regularly? 3. Do I love it?
Debra Wright
Seems like you are feeling sorry for yourself & you are not at peace with yourself. I can't imagine what you must be going through and hope & pray you will find that peace to live your life with love, health, peace & joy!
Amelia
If everything had to "spark joy" I would have nothing left to wear, here. There are things you just need. I don't have a big budget for clothes and I dislike shopping, so there's a lot of practical stuff I'm keeping, even though it's contrary to the KonMari method.
Janet
And "Surely she'll get specific soon," but no.
Brona's Books
She does talk about the 'need' category when sorting out papers, but it would apply to other stuff like medicines, work tools, kitchen utensils, some appliances and other practical, in-use objects that make our life easier for having them but may not necessarily spark joy.
She says to keep the stuff that is currently in use, needed for a limited period of time and those things that must be kept indefinitely.
Hope this helps.
She says to keep the stuff that is currently in use, needed for a limited period of time and those things that must be kept indefinitely.
Hope this helps.
Debra Wright
Seems like you are feeling sorry for yourself & you are not at peace with yourself. I can't imagine what you must be going through and hope & pray you will find that peace to live your life with love, health, peace & joy!
Laura Ess
If you just read the memes and not the book (a bit like reading the Old Testament without reading the New one) you might get the impression that this is the only rule, to be applied indiscriminately. But it isn't, and shouldn't be.
Kondo says to discard by category, so in this case that'd be medicines. Certainly some medicine's should be disposed of, because they have a use-by date. For example asthma inhalents are only good for 2 years - after that they have no effect.
So how much chemo treatment stuff do you have? Is it mostly out of date? Do you have a cabinet full of old stuff that may or may not be effective? I'd figure that helping to keep you alive, would spark joy.
Kondo says to discard by category, so in this case that'd be medicines. Certainly some medicine's should be disposed of, because they have a use-by date. For example asthma inhalents are only good for 2 years - after that they have no effect.
So how much chemo treatment stuff do you have? Is it mostly out of date? Do you have a cabinet full of old stuff that may or may not be effective? I'd figure that helping to keep you alive, would spark joy.
Stacy Gleiss
I am a chronic "throw-away person." When someone in the house is missing something they always look at me! I don't think this is due to my Japanese background, but a need for control-- the opposite condition of hoarding!
Stacy Gleiss, Author of "The Six-Foot Bonsai: A Soul Lost in The Land of the Rising Sun"
Stacy Gleiss, Author of "The Six-Foot Bonsai: A Soul Lost in The Land of the Rising Sun"
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