Have you ever owned something that you love, but that somehow doesn’t really work when you use it the way it is intended to?
It may be a necklace that you don’t use, because every time you try it on it just doesn’t work. But you love it!
Or it could your kids’ baby clothes that remind you of precious memories of when they were little.
Maybe it’s a gift someone gave you that your spouse doesn’t care for but that sparks joy for you. You want to honor their feelings about it.
Certain things are just really hard to part with, or to know how to store in a way that makes you happy.
Think outside the box – literally
Your treasures—things you just love but don’t use—shouldn’t go in a bin in your basement. It’s like asking your favorite aunt to sleep on the cold hard floor with spiders and mold. Not a great way to honor her.
When it comes to storing items you love, tidying expert Marie Kondo (best-selling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and “Spark Joy”) has a suggestion that to our western mind may sound like an unusual suggestion: when you’re not sure where or how to store an item, ask the item itself where it would like to live. Even though it may feel a little weird, doing this can get your creative juices flowing in ways you might not expect. Give it a try!
Consider unlikely places to put joy bursts
I’ve found that there are some necklaces that I love to look at, but when I try to wear them they just don’t do it for me. So I decided to try hanging them with my clothes. Voila! When I look at them hanging in my closet, they spark joy!
One client came up with the idea of hanging a joy-sparking necklace on her bedside lampshade. She enjoys it every time she turns the lamp on and off.
Surprise yourself by putting treasures inside cupboards or closet doors
I’m no artist, but when I go to Mexico on vacation the bright colors there inspire me to play with paint. These paintings are nothing I especially want to hang on my walls for others to see, but they spark joy and remind me of a special place and sweet joy-filled moments.
I decided to hang my favorite ones inside some of my closet doors. Every time I open them, they give me a boost!
Tuck treasures in your clothing drawers
My dear friend Jodie was in a dilemma about what to do with her kids’ baby clothes, the ones that were just too cute to part with. Stashing them away in a storage bin in the basement was not what she wanted for them. For her, they were the equivalent of that favorite aunt I talked about earlier.
I suggested that she tuck her favorite ones in with her own clothes. She was delighted! Now every time she opens her sock drawer she sees her now adult daughter’s little five-year-old leggings nestled in with hers. In her closet with her own clothes hangs her adult son’s beloved Dodger’s jacket that he wore when he was a boy. It warms her heart every time she opens it!
Put your treasures in a special treasure box
While your treasures don’t want to be stashed away in a bin in your basement, putting them in a special treasure box is different option. It should be a box that sparks joy, and that things that you treasure but that need a very special home.
I have a couple of treasure boxes. My favorite is my adult son’s well-worn and and beloved Curious George lunchbox from when he was a kid and was passionate about Curious George. I adore looking at that lunchbox, and I love opening it to look at special treasures that want to be kept in an honored way.
The sky is the limit!
There are plenty of ways to creatively keep your possessions that you wouldn’t usually think to do. I’d love to hear about yours!
0 Comments