Professional organizer/tidier (yes, that’s actually a thing) Marie Kondo, star of the Netflix series “Tidying up with Marie Kondo,” lives according to the following creed: If something doesn’t spark joy in your life, throw it out.
After binge watching the entire first season of the show during the commercial breaks of “The Bachelor,” Penn junior Gina Willis took Kondo’s motto to heart.
“I realized that I was extremely unhappy throughout fall semester, and Marie motivated me to take that active step in sparking joy in my life.”
The KonMari method requires one to tidy up their house by gathering together all of one’s belongings, sorting them, and then ONLY keeping the things that spark joy. Hypothetically, this revolutionary process of organizing one’s home creates a neat and uncluttered environment.
“First off, I gathered all of my belongings, just like Marie told me to, and placed them on my floor so I could go through each item.”
However, the final result of Willis’s apartment did not exactly match the outcomes seen on the Netflix show. All of her belongings were amassed in a giant heap in the middle of her bedroom. Legend has it that there is still a dorm-room chair filled with semi-worn clothes underneath it.
“Marie also told me that I needed to thank all of my possessions. When I started doing that, I realized that ALL of my stuff, like my old, puke- stained Fling tank, spark joy in my life. Now everything just lives [here,]” Willis proudly gestured to what was supposedly the floor.
Despite all of this, Willis still felt like something in her apartment wasn’t sparking her joy. Then it hit her: “My roommate, Sarah!” *
Now Willis lives alone with a pet mouse (that apparently sparks joy, don’t ask why) and is currently thriving under her horrific hoard.
“Thank you Marie Kondo for inspiring me to toss out my roommate. Now I know what real joy feels like!”
*The Punch Bowl was able to get an exclusive with Sarah, and according to her, it did not take much convincing for her to “flee” after catching a glimpse of Willis’s room.