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Spark Joy Review


This may be an odd post to go here since I have a blog for books, however, Minding the Middle is a blog for books that will appeal to the middle level reader so that I can keep track of possible book talk novels and graphic novels. This book is not a middle school book unless there is a middle schooler who is really into tidying up or becoming a clutter consultant.

So why here? 

When I am at my most creative, I am messy. My office space reflects the multiple strands I have going on in my brain, but as this book relates, my mess is a temporary mess and easily tidied up in 5 minutes. 

So why here?

When I talk about self care to my incoming student teachers, and the importance of self care in the last semester when even for the strongest teachers, life comes crashing down all at once, the lessons from this book are what I want them to learn.

Perhaps in the semester before student teaching, we need to focus on tidying up and finding what sparks joy and releasing those things that don't. What this then does is declutters their living spaces in order to bring in a safe space for calm, serenity and creativity. Innovation cannot happen when there is the white noise of clutter. 

Just my manaʻo.

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