A lot of people, when they get together, talk about their new acquisitions. I guess it is a "pride of ownership" thing. A smaller group of people, in the same circumstances, talk not about things they got, but rather things of which they have gotten rid.
Since Linda and I moved from Alberta to British Columbia eight years ago, we have been on a semi-random minimalist mission. The move itself was the perfect excuse to unload years of accumulation, and we downsized our belongings from a mid-sized moving truck to a utility trailer pulled behind our small pickup truck.
Our drive west felt more like riding in a balloon with all the ballast thrown overboard. We felt liberated, exhilarated even.
It is demonstrated that some people experience a rush when shopping. I have a similar reaction when I get rid of stuff.
In the summer we took a truck load of things to the second hand store, and last week we took another full load. The more we take out of our small home the better it feels. More space means more room for air, sunshine, and creativity to flow.
This has been a decades long project that is ongoing as things pass through our lives. There is no end, which is ok. It is all about the process of eliminating the superfluous so that the necessary can reveal itself.
We have a way to go before we are down to backpacks, but as we minimalize more, our simple, spartan, and austere dream is becoming a happy reality.
In the summer we took a truck load of things to the second hand store, and last week we took another full load. The more we take out of our small home the better it feels. More space means more room for air, sunshine, and creativity to flow.
This has been a decades long project that is ongoing as things pass through our lives. There is no end, which is ok. It is all about the process of eliminating the superfluous so that the necessary can reveal itself.
We have a way to go before we are down to backpacks, but as we minimalize more, our simple, spartan, and austere dream is becoming a happy reality.
I to get the same rush when getting rid of stuff. I always have an ongoing collection bin for charity and it always amazes me how quickly I can fill it up. I am not a shopper by any means and every time I take a load of stuff for donation I swear I have donated everything I possibly could...until the bin (or sometimes the car) fills up again. I am on a mission of sorts to find the least amount of material items I can live with and still be happy. I am down to very little and so far find I am happier each time I get rid of things, not the opposite. It amazes me that people think they will be happier with more, since I am the happiest I have ever been and have so little. If only all of the minimalists could open the eyes of the shoppers!
ReplyDeleteMarie G lifesimplybalanced.com
Every time we look for things to eliminate, we find something. How does this stuff get in the house, and how can it hide unnoticed for years at a time?
DeleteOff-topic - I´d like to know what your thoughts are on the "tiny house" subject. I currently live in a 315 square foot house and will move to a 308 sq foot in january. readings others blogs i was surprised to know that a lot of them (mostly in US) classify a house this size in the "tny house" group! Is it true? I had no idea! ALL my friends live in houses and apartments more or less this size and we are not poor AT ALL and havent chose them because they´re tiny! We dont even find then small!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think your living arrangements are probably more in line with the rest of the globe. That what you consider to be 'normal' is considered to be 'tiny' here is a testament to our bloated expectations.
DeleteMost Americans have car garages larger than the space Linda and I are presently living in, which is about 500 sq. ft. We could, and may some day, go smaller. Like you and your friends. It just seems sensible.
Thanks for sharing your experience, which could be seen as a lesson in determining what is 'enough'.
YAY! Here's to the "rush" of downsizing! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy minimalist mantra: "Give it away, give it away, give it away..."
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