A Decade of Simplicity

As we enter the roaring 20s of the 21^st century, many are looking back not only at the past year, but the past decade. I’m not one to dwell too much on the past, but I think looking back can help broaden our perspective. Too often we get bogged down in the busyness of our lives, focusing on everything we want to accomplish but have not yet managed. We forget to look at the big picture. Instead of obsessing about everything I still want to do and become, I thought it would help to go back to 2010 to see just how far I’ve come in simplifying my life.

2010 – My younger child went off to college out of state. I was an empty nester! It was a bittersweet feeling, but I had already begun to consider my next steps. I wanted to sell my big suburban house and live in a smaller place closer into the city. With my two children away at college, I began to declutter. After all, a single empty nester doesn’t need as much as a single parent of two.

2011 –I decluttered and packed up a lot of my possessions in order to make my house seem roomier for potential buyers. I stacked the boxes neatly in the garage and enjoyed the white space in my home. I began looking at smaller, more manageable houses. And then . . . two days before my house would be listed, a pinhole leak in the pipe connecting the oven to the gas line triggered a house fire. My kitchen was entirely destroyed and the rest of the house damaged considerably from the heat and smoke. Thankfully, the books, photos, and personal items in the garage survived. The next five months would be stressful as I lived away from my house and worked on rebuilding the interior of my house. I lost most of my furniture and decided not to replace everything. Note: This is a very stressful way to declutter. I do not recommend it!

2012 – I sold my large suburban house (2550 sq. ft.) and moved into an older, smaller house (1400 sq. ft.). I continued to replace what I had lost in the fire, but only about 50% of it. I bought a smaller couch, fewer chairs, and much less kitchen stuff. The smaller house was much easier to keep clean and felt like the right size for an empty nester with visiting adult children.

2013 – I fell in love with an older cat and brought him home to my household of two dogs. It felt a bit crowded at times with the critters, but it was worth it. The was also the year I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. During my recovery period, I was grateful to have a smaller house. Like many who go through a health scare, I also began reflecting anew on how I wanted to live my life. I wanted to change my work situation, so I began simplifying my finances as much as possible in preparation for a lower-paying job.

2014 – I flew to Florida for my daughter’s graduation. Afterwards, while staying with a friend in Orlando, a conversation turned to housing costs. I was surprised at how much more affordable it was there, and an idea began to form. I had plenty of debt and an increase in income didn’t seem likely. I knew I could sell my house for a good profit, but was moving to central Florida the answer? I began researching the issue.

2015 –I decided to move to a more affordable part of the country. I sold and donated a lot of my furniture and unnecessary items. I sold my house. I paid off my debt. I left my 18-year-old car to my son and paid cash for a newish car from the 21^st century. I still had a mortgage, but I owed much less than I had on my previous one.

2016 – Not having walking partners in my new city, I turned to podcasts. I walked and listened and discovered minimalism. It was similar to the simplicity movement I knew from the 1990s. I began to listen and read obsessively about the rise in popularity of simple living aka minimalism. I decided to write a blog for people in mid-life seeking to live a life with less stuff and more meaning.

2017 – Although I had downscaled significantly before my move to Florida, I now saw my life and possessions in a new light. I bought a smaller house in an area where I had walking access to many amenities. I created a discussion group on Facebook for mid-life minimalists. I quit the job I hated. Unfortunately, the next job I took wasn’t the answer, and after half a year, I left that one, too. Thankfully, simplifying my life so much over the past years meant that I had a cushion of savings to get me through the transition.

2018 – Would I have quit my jobs if I had known that I would face a year of unemployment? Yes. Life is too short to be that miserable. I pushed myself to decrease my expenses even more. I looked for contract work to make my savings last longer. I began a Facebook page for mid-life minimalists, more convinced than ever that this lifestyle has so much to offer. I tried to stay positive.

2019 – After a decade of purposefully simplifying my life, I should be done, right? Well, no. It’s a lifestyle, a mindset, not a task to be crossed off a to-do list. But it’s not just about decluttering the stuff or minimizing schedules. Some call it “rightsizing,” which may mean a decrease or increase, depending on your current situation. I like to think of it as “curating” my life, intentionally selecting what I value in my life, whether it’s possessions I own or time and energy I spend.

Most of all, choosing to live a simpler life is about figuring out what’s truly important to us and discarding the rest. It’s becoming more aware of what the right fit is at a particular time in our life. If you’ve been on this journey a long time, look back to see how far you’ve come. If you’re at the beginning and feel overwhelmed or discouraged, be patient. It’s a process, sometimes intense, sometimes subdued. The important thing is that you take the first steps. Let’s check back in ten years!

RESOURCES

Becker, Joshua The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

Carver, Courtney  Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More

Luhr, Janet The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living

Millburn, Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

For more resources, go to this page: Resources

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