Stuff-Style

Thoughts on Minimalism

At the beginning of 2018 I had a thought, I want to be a minimalist. I had watched Wildthornberrys, a beloved show from my childhood, one too many times and was enchanted by the idea of living in a tricked-out RV and travelling the world. It wasn’t a new thing, when I was a kid watching the show that was exactly what I wanted rewatching it just reminded me that I had become anchored to one spot by my full-time job and apartment filled with stuff. I decided that I wanted to pursue being a minimalist. I sat down an made a few lists, I’m good at lists, and went room by room thinking I would get rid of everything I possibly could. Unfortunately, I have terrible follow-through and was not in a place with my physical or mental health to actually accomplish such a daunting goal. Then I moved into a larger condo with a garage and an outdoor storage shed and didn’t have to think about it as much.

I still wanted to pursue minimalism though. I had this nagging feeling that there was too much tying me to one spot and most of it was junk or useless to me. Did I really need so much? Had I not just cleaned out the hall closet a few weeks ago? And where was the duffel bag I was looking for? My trip to Peru was the final straw. I lived for two weeks straight with only five outfits shoved into a duffel bag and still struggled to carry everything I “needed” to live the life I had become accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, being accustomed to certain things is not bad. I have a chronic pain issue and it is very helpful for me to feel cozy and relaxed in my home, but I could certainly feel the line between cozy and cramped.

So, I came home from Peru and made a new batch of lists for minimizing my stuffstyle. Unlike the beginning of 2018 my lists at the beginning of 2019 were significantly more comprehensive and less daunting. Instead of writing things down like “create a capsule wardrobe” I wrote “go through wardrobe.” I decided that my goal with minimalism wasn’t exactly to be a minimalist or to arbitrarily have fewer items in my home. Instead, what I wanted was to know the reason I had every item in my home. What I really wanted was to be able to point at every item in my home and explain why it was where it was or why it was in my house at all. This is actually something I practice a lot with my knickknacks and bits of bobs that hang around my bookshelves. I like to walk around my living room and pick up things like my Princess Anna bobble head doll and tell the story, to the empty, of taking my best friend to see Frozen for her birthday one year and her turning to me in the middle of the movie, pointed at Princess Anna, and said, “She reminds me of you.” Now, when I do this crazy thing, if I can’t think of why I have this random object other than “well, it’s cute” or “it was a gift” I seriously consider whether or not it is necessary for my life. Does it make my home feel cozy or cluttered?

This was a change of mindset that changed everything about how I approach minimalism and the way I want to live my life. You see, your success or failure when it comes to minimalism is based entirely on your attitude about it and the reason you are doing it. Some people can, honestly, live very happily out of a suitcase because their lifestyle is that of wanting to be able to go. Some people need to have a clean slate around them to think or express themselves. Some people only want to be surrounded by that which they love and makes there life better. Oh, and by the way, there is not an arbitrary number of things that you are allowed to love. You do not only get to love 30 books and you do not only have to have one of each kind of cooking utensil. The idea of minimalism is about saving you from being shackled to your stuff and learning to live with only what you need, therefore saving you time and money. For me, I want to know the reason that I have something that I have, and “just in case” isn’t good enough.