Some people are pack rats. Some people are weeder-outers. I tend towards the weeder-outer group though there were times in my life when I didn’t. After all, someday I might need X for my research, Y for my teaching, or Z for my kids. I got over it. A few years out from my Ph.D., I realized I wasn’t interested in continuing academic research. When I left teaching, I gave my supplies to other teachers. As for my kids, well, they did use some of what I kept, but for the most part, they weren’t interested.
Instead, I kept their stuff – art, books, toys, clothes – eventually it got to be too much. I sorted out the most important memorabilia (in my eyes) and donated the rest. It wasn’t easy. I have almost nothing from my own childhood, so I wanted my children to have some tangible connections to theirs. They’re young adults now and don’t live at home, but they’re in the small-apartment-little-storage phase of life. Guess who’s keeping their stuff? In the garage. But I’m going to make them take it all in a few years. Really.
My yearning for a minimalist lifestyle isn’t new. When my kids were small, the simplicity movement was big. I probably had every book with the words “simple,” “simplicity,” or “voluntary simplicity” in the title. As a graduate student and later single parent, my “simplicity” wasn’t exactly “voluntary.” I didn’t have much money, but I had embraced the concept. Perhaps it was an antidote to juggling a busy life with two young kids, too little money, and too many jobs. Eventually my income increased and more stuff came into my life. I moved into a bigger house, then an even bigger one. At the peak of it all, I had two teenagers, two dogs, two cats, and all the paraphernalia that went with that stage in my life.
Then the inevitable happened. My nest began to empty out. I was forced to reconsider the direction my life was taking. I began to plan selling the big family house for a smaller one. I started decluttering. A lot. A year later I went through a house fire. Not everything was destroyed, but the entire contents of my kitchen and a whole lot of furniture got tossed.
I decided not to replace every single thing. Instead of half a dozen side chairs, I opted for two. I only needed one couch in a house with just one living room. I didn’t replace the appliances I rarely used now that the kids were gone (think waffle iron, bread maker, and more). I continued to downscale, amazed at how much a household of three had accumulated in two decades.
As I settled into my empty-nester life, I discovered a younger generation of people living simply. They have blogs and podcasts and books. I read and listen to many of them, inspired just as I was decades ago when I was on my simplicity kick. I began to reexamine my possessions with fresh eyes. Do I need X? Do I want Y? Do I still enjoy Z? The piles to declutter grew larger.
I appreciate the irony of my life as I move through this minimalist experience. Can I call myself a minimalist if I have a couple hundred books? dozens of CDs? lots of tea dishes? True, I have reduced the numbers substantially, but I also recognize that the process is ongoing. Minimalism isn’t about the number of items you own, of course; it’s about quality over quantity, shifting the focus from what you have to who you are. It’s living your values and creating a meaningful life. I’m not entirely there yet, but I’m on the way.
RESOURCES
After the Fire: Rebuilding House and Life after a Fire
(from Yesteryear)
Elaine St. James: Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More
Janet Luhrs: The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living
Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez: Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial MORE
Alexandra Stoddard: Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life
RESOURCES (from Now)
Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus aka The Minimalists: Essential: Essays by The Minimalists
Joshua Becker: The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
Leo Babauta: Essential Zen Habits: Mastering the Art of Change, Briefly
Gretchen Rubin: The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, Better Than Before, The Four Tendencies
Courtney Carver: Simple Ways to Be More with Less
For more resources, go to this page: Resources
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