Living in the present is becoming more and more appealing to me, as a single mama of 3 humans, 2 cats, and 2 wolfdog pups (with a 3rd we temporarily babysit for 12 hours 5-6 days a week). I could put the bulk of my time and energy into cleaning and maintaining our home and belongings, or I could put the bulk of my time and energy into being present and available for my children (and then the house SUFFERS!). Simplicity has appealed to me for as long as I can remember, and I'm really diggin' the minimalist movement. My bigger picture plans are attaining a home on wheels and traveling where ever our wheels can take us on waste veggie oil, solar panels, wind turbines, and whatever other ways we can find to be self-sustaining. Realizing how soon I was ready for that in my life (thought it would be years, but I could be ready in a month if life took us in that direction) has helped me prioretize my belongings, because we can't take everything with us. So, how far am I willing to live in the now?
Am I willing to dump my "medicine" drawer and buy remedies on demand? Am I ready to finish partially finished projects or get rid of them? Am I willing to get rid of my book collection (that I haven't had time to read as fast as I have been able to acquire)? Am I willing to part with fabric I will not be using this month and only buy it on a project-needed basis? (that will be the toughest)
I am ready to go through the kitchen and get rid of my breadmaker I will probably not have time to use for years and I can purchase when needed? What about my super expensive juicer I have only used a handful of times in the years I've owned it -- good intentions unfulfilled? What about dishes that we use because we have them but could use something else? What about the pantries' ingredients for half-ready recipes?
Wow, I own a lot of "just in case"s! I have already been living pretty minimally. We only own 4 plates, bowls, cups, and a couple big ones, and I only own 2 "Tupperware" type bowls. I only own 2 bookshelves with my personal belongings -- 1 for sewing, 1 for books and other stuff I keep (paperwork, plants, office supplies, etc).
Even as simply as I live, I see so much stuff that I haven't used in a year, if not years. How simply am I ready to live? What does this mean? It means that I trust that if I don't want to keep this stuff around for "someday" that I will still be okay, that I will be able to find these things when I may actually want to use them (thank goodness for Craigslist), that our lives are full and rich even if I don't bake bread or juice fruits and veggies before they go bad or read books that tease out the things I value. It means I really get to focus on the relationships in my life. It means I get to deschool material possessions and probably build and reconstruct that area of my life once it's deconstructed and I'm ready for something new :))
I love this path of learning :))
2 comments:
This is something I wanted to comment on. I am pretty minimalistic and am good at giving away things I don't need. It actually makes me unwell on some level to see too huge pile of things in my girls room but I still think they are OK. THe problem is with my dh who loves to KEEP stuff for years and I can't help him get rid of it. If it was up to me, he would loose 80% of his things. Regarding nice kitchen gadgets, if you don't plan on using them, sell them on CL or gift them. It is true that if you need something for real it will come to you in one or another way. When we were moving to our last place which is the smallest by far, I had to donate many things including books, clothes, furniture and so on. And yet we are happy now without them. Good luck. Monika
Thank you, Monika :) I agree! And my children's dad was the same way! I cannot handle clutter. In fact, this morning, I went through my bathroom stuff and ruthlessly pared it down. Feels so great :)) Looking forward to much more of it :)))))
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