Day 9: Cleaning House
Does anyone else get that clean, amazing feeling when you finally clear out a closet or a crowded drawer? Is that just me and my Virgo tendencies?
I decided about a year ago to become a minimalist- which sounds a lot easier than it really is. It's a surprising reaction when you open a drawer with the specific plan of emptying it out and you realize quite suddenly that you keep things, sometimes just to remember.
Sometimes just to have that visual recognition that you knew someone you no longer know, or went to a place you no longer visit, or "do you remember that one time when..."
And being that I literally started my life over almost three years ago now- there were a LOT of things I was hanging on to.
And I figured something out quite quickly. I need to be rid of these things. I need them to be gone. But I fear losing these memories. Just because I no longer want the physical reminders of such things living with my daily does not mean that I don't want to remember at all.
So I take pictures of things. Which helps a lot. Because I do love flipping through my pictures - and I do actually see the pictures of these things and I do think "oh my goodness... remember when...?"
Some of the hardest things to get rid of are books. Mainly, because I've always taken pride in having a large collection of books- but in reality, I don't use most of them. The reference books, sure. But the novels that I read once and didn't like enough to read again (I will re-read and re-read and re-read books over and over if I love them).
Why keep them? Why have things that I don't, or never, use? The common reaction is "I might need it someday" but why clutter my life with "someday" when all I have is right now?
I find it comforting- only having what I need. I get pleasure in "cleaning house". I do it every once in a while, and every time I get rid of more stuff. It's taken me almost three years - and I'm ALMOST there.
You can't become a minimalist overnight!
I decided about a year ago to become a minimalist- which sounds a lot easier than it really is. It's a surprising reaction when you open a drawer with the specific plan of emptying it out and you realize quite suddenly that you keep things, sometimes just to remember.
Sometimes just to have that visual recognition that you knew someone you no longer know, or went to a place you no longer visit, or "do you remember that one time when..."
And being that I literally started my life over almost three years ago now- there were a LOT of things I was hanging on to.
And I figured something out quite quickly. I need to be rid of these things. I need them to be gone. But I fear losing these memories. Just because I no longer want the physical reminders of such things living with my daily does not mean that I don't want to remember at all.
So I take pictures of things. Which helps a lot. Because I do love flipping through my pictures - and I do actually see the pictures of these things and I do think "oh my goodness... remember when...?"
Some of the hardest things to get rid of are books. Mainly, because I've always taken pride in having a large collection of books- but in reality, I don't use most of them. The reference books, sure. But the novels that I read once and didn't like enough to read again (I will re-read and re-read and re-read books over and over if I love them).
Why keep them? Why have things that I don't, or never, use? The common reaction is "I might need it someday" but why clutter my life with "someday" when all I have is right now?
I find it comforting- only having what I need. I get pleasure in "cleaning house". I do it every once in a while, and every time I get rid of more stuff. It's taken me almost three years - and I'm ALMOST there.
You can't become a minimalist overnight!
posted by Kat Downs at 8:43 PM
1 Comments:
It should not surprise you at all that I share your feeling. B says that I'm actually quite ruthless about "cleaning house". He fears when I get my Goodwill donation groove on.
When we moved (twice) this last year it was an awesome chance to get rid of extra "stuff". I swear for every three boxes I unpacked I repacked one for Goodwill.
I do still have two full floor-to-ceiling bookshelves completely full though. But most of them are on my "to read" list!
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