At one time, I would have said "deprivation", "stark", "bare", "boring" and maybe "void". I would have assumed that a person who defined themselves as a minimalist would live in a home void of personal touches. In my mind, a minimalist could not be sentimental, because they throw everything away. I assumed that a person embracing minimalism would resist the impulse to purchase desired goods with white-knuckled determination and will power. Kind of like fasting from food. Anyone who endorsed minimalism would undoubtedly be a snobbish, stuffy environmentalist (not that environmentalists are snobs, but the minimalist ones would be!). Oh, and they'd probably be ovo-lacto vegetarians, too!
I assumed it was mostly a losing proposition.
My brief experience has shown me that I was wrong. As I've moved towards decluttering my own life, my perspective has increasingly aligned with the concepts of a minimalist life.
Each tentative step I take towards living with less brings more freedom and clarity in my life. As I remove items from my home, my wardrobe and my schedule, I am left with the things that have meaning to me and support me in the life I want to live. As I usher out things that hold little or no value to me and my family (and I'm not just talking monetary), I usher in free time and a stronger sense of who I am and who I want to be. It may sound extreme, but it's the best way I know to describe it. When I see an empty shelf in my closet, I think "that shelf that does not cost me anything". It requires nothing of me. That same shelf full of "stuff" requires something of me, at some point. Maybe it needs to be fixed, read, dusted, sorted, filed, picked up, moved around, washed, searched in, replaced, and on. Now, if fixing, dusting, and replacing stuff is my life's goal, then perhaps that bulging shelf is serving a purpose. But if I would rather spend my life nurturing my family, growing in my relationship with God, giving to those around me, and discovering and pursuing my dreams, then all the "stuff" is only a distracting obstacle.
If I was asked to describe minimalism now, I'd use the words "clarity", "choosing", "freedom", "stress-free", "being conscious", "increased awareness", and "exhilirating". It's not about having as little as possible, but it's a growing sense of awareness that every purchase has a price, in addition to the price tag. It's about being intentional in decision-making. It's about doing some soul-searching to discover what I really want in this life. It's not about less, it's really about more.
It doesn't sound like losing to me.
1 comment:
this is an awesome post my friend! People call me a minimalist b/c I can't stand junk and trinkets and stuff laying around or houses that are too full.
You are right it is not about not being sentimental but more selective in what you choose to keep. I have a seperate folder for all of my most precious memories and stuff from Dominyk that was really special to either him or to me. You cannot possibly keep it all. I have also started to take photos of more of the things to keep a memory of something he makes rather than lbs of stuff sitting around! :D
It is a rather freeing feeling when one starts to declutter and it's so much easier to keep things clean thereby freeing up more time to do fun stuff... a win/win situation! :D
After all... you even have a fancy shmancy labeller so.... that is just awesome! :D
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