About a year ago I read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and I was disappointed. It was perhaps her cult like following that convinced me I would be a better person if I followed her teachings, got rid of everything that doesn't spark joy, if I categorized every item I owned and did the weird folding thing, but all I got from it was one more item in my possession that I didn't really like or need—the book.
If I didn't feel so awkward doing the ceremonious holding of an object to my chest to then thank it for whatever service it provided (or didn't), the book would be the first to go through this process.
I'm on board, wholly, with the concept of a good purge, and with honouring a memory by doing something special for sentimental items that need to go, but acknowledging and thanking aloud the thing in question just doesn't cut it for me. I'll go out of my way any day to get that item I loved to someone else who needs/wants it, I'll even pay for a refurbishing to extend the usefulness of it. If showing gratitude was enough for things to cease to exist, our planet wouldn't be full of trash.
A better approach to minimalism and to a tidy life would be not to consider "does this spark joy" but "how am I getting rid of this thing without turning it into someone else's problem" before even getting it in the first place.
Happy earth day.
Top: Mimosa bustier by Aelyse
Trousers: Pilar linen trousers by Aelyse
Trousers: Pilar linen trousers by Aelyse