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PAST DEADLINE: Wipe the slate clean of clutter, find joy

Kelly Sinoski’s column to the Free Press

It’s time to call in Marie Kondo.

I’ve decided to clean up my life, to only hold onto those things that bring me joy.

Easier said than done.

I’m one of those people who hold onto things for a lot of reasons: security, practicality, sentimentality. My garage is a hodgepodge collection of items that I will likely never use again.

A too-small t-shirt from the Galapagos Islands. A cracked coaster from my best friend. Trixie Belden books that helped me survive life in a new town.

Do I really need two backpacking tents when I haven’t hiked into the mountains in at least five years? Or a stash of board games when I have no one to play?

When I moved to the Cariboo two years ago, it was with a view that we would live a cleaner, simpler, more creative life.

Bike, read, garden. Raise bees and chickens. Walk the dog, spoil the cats.

But our fresh slate was already marked up with the cutter of our pasts.

A few weeks ago (yes, weeks), I cleared a bookshelf, figuring it was time to give away some of my favourite reads.

A friend took four books and gave me four back. The box of books is still in my house. More books are still on the shelf although I haven’t read those yet so they don’t count.

I’m hoping to get to them soon because reading does bring me joy. And then box them up and send them on. Move on to the next.

I am committed to getting rid of the stuff that doesn’t matter. I won’t fit into those jeans again, not with BJ’s Donuts across the street. I won’t reread the Goldfinch.

By clearing away these remnants of the past, I can make way for a healthier future. Keep only the stuff to be creative, or play outdoors, my two ultimate joys.

I found an old set of women’s golf clubs in our garage - apparently someone else needed Marie Kondo but ditched them instead.

A friend and I started lessons last weekend. I’m not sure yet if golf will bring me joy but it’s worth a shot.

I will also keep my cross-country skis. A curling broom. And my bike, which always brings me joy.

If the past two years have taught me anything, it’s that life happens. We don’t know when our time is up. It’s time to seize the day and live for the moment. Find your joy.



kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net

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