I Thought I Was a Minimalist, But I Was Wrong
In 2021 after major decluttering efforts, I felt like maybe I had become a minimalist.
Thrilling changes resulted when most of the 1980's carpet was finally being replaced. A pro was scheduled for a great deal of tile work. We cleared out most of the house except some living areas: the kitchen, and 2 small bedrooms.
Months prior to that I did a Kon Mari sweep of the house complete with holding individual items and asking if they sparked joy. I woke up happy that morning, felt upbeat during the process and likely misread my joyful mood as I did not get rid of much.
Moving forward - our plan was to take most of our things to a storage unit or donate them.
We didn't have old-style easy-access storage. It was a "high security" indoor facility; a cramped, formidable maze with coded doors. It was painful to carry anything bigger than a shoe box to the space.
I was in the middle of struggling with a damaged Duncan Fife china cabinet and realized we never chose that item. Like a lot of stuff, it just ended up ours.
My husband and I agreed not to put it in storage. Then we looked with new eyes at the rest of our stuff.
Almost like moving, clearing out the house was a spark joy short-cut.
If we were willing to suffer dragging an item through Fort Knox, it sparked either joy or raw need. Decisions became easy.
Weeks later the tile was beautifully done. We cleaned, painted the walls, retrieved our furnishings and the collection of less seemed to have a fresh energy.
We had no plan to coordinate anything yet what was left was working together.
A Scandinavian sofa, 2 insanely comfortable chairs, and a couple of rugs were added. Our aim was to be creative and use what we had in new ways.
With less clutter and furniture, it was delightful and fun to play home decorator. But then I started unpacking the little things and realized I still clung to lots of stuff.
Unintentional collections were now obvious - like stone rabbits (couldn’t abandon them - those little faces!), plants, home dec magazines from years ago (still reading!), shells, artwork, dishes, fabric, anything botanical…and a sizeable assortment of flower pots.
In my defense, I never shop for them. I am generous with giving them away, go through periods when I avoid garden centers and vow not to end up with more.
It's one way that abundance flows into my life and I treasure the process. Each simple addition brings its own energy and new possibilities.
They spark joy for me as well as creativity. And now that I do have fewer things, I enjoy what remains all the more.
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”
~ Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
