I am trying to implement this in my life. If you know me in real life you may be picking your teeth up and putting them back in your mouth. I KNOW!!! I am a packrat. I love stuff. I have accumulated loads of stuff. I have collections of stuff. Let's face it, I am on my way to being a hoarder.
So I am trying my best to embrace the more minimalist side of myself. The part of me that sees all the stuff as things that weigh me down, that keep me from being the best I can because I am too busy dusting, arranging and finding homes for all my important stuff. It is hard to completely change your mindset, especially when you spent years of your life accumulating. I did recognize years ago that I had a lot of things and made a hard and fast rule that any time I saw something I wanted I had to stop and think of a similar object in my house that I was willing to let go of, be it sweaters or shoes or whatever. Note: this rule has never applied to books. Books are sacred and as such, limitless in the number you can own.
I let things go all the time. And yet, the clutter persists. So I am reading and re-reading the KonMari book up there and falling more in love with the idea of having fewer beloved items that now have air around them, that aren't crammed into a large collection so that this item of beauty can shine all on its own.
And you know what is really strange? Along with minimizing my stuff I am also changing my style of furnishings and things that I want to inhabit my space. I have always been in the Bohemian camp with loads of competing patterns, fabrics, textures, over-stuffed big comfy furniture and the like. Nowadays, my taste is running more towards mid-century modern, Danish 1960s looking things and craftsman/arts & crafts. Where the hell did THIS come from??
I have very slowly over the last 15 years come around to the Small House Movement way of thinking. I love the idea of making great use of the space you have and not building, heating, cooling and walking through long hallways of unusable space.
That's me right now; recycling things that need to go to someone else, downsizing the amount of treasures I want to keep and letting go of all the things that no longer serve me and no longer spark joy in my life.
Holler at me if you need something, I just might have a collection of said item that I would love to gift you.
I feel like I could have written this post myself, even though I haven't yet read her book. I will though, soon enough. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting. I hope you are sparked with joy reading the book, too!
DeleteIt's so hard to let go of stuff! I've gotten to where I have an entire closet packed full of stuff I need to sort through, both emotionally and physically, and decide what to get rid of. I've found it takes multiple passes to get to the point where I will let go.
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