Stuff permeates our houses even when we think we are over it.
We stopped buying stuff on the consumerist buying curve quite some time ago, but we are still managing it and decluttering it, hanging on to some of it just in case and generally letting it manage us.
I have -- ahem -- an embarrassment of stuff, I've reached the top of the summit and I don't like looking down and seeing it all around. The ornament there, the box of photos here, the too-much-everywhere.
I'm done with the story of my stuff.
I love space. I love how the floorboards stretch east and west with knots of age. I don't mind the occasional dust bunny blowing over them but the dog basket full of toys -- well, he only loves three of them.
There is too much. Too many books, kitchen appliances, papers, cables, jars and bottles, books, you name it --- there is too much. For goodness sake, even my computer desktop is cluttered with stuff.
Guilt keeps me trapped in stuff. If I don't manage to give it away or donate it then what do I do with it? Put it in landfill??
Well yes, maybe I do.
Maybe, if one more individual in the western world joins the minimalist movement and tries to make worthwhile decisions about the stuff, then maybe I can come out the other side making a contribution.
Minimalism is indeed a worthwhile goal.
The adventure has begun.
I have to admit that I, too, am afraid of lots of "stuff." I don't mind jars and such things that serve a purpose, but I have little tolerance for an excess of things that aren't well-used or well-loved! I think minimalism is a very worthwhile journey, in more ways than one :) -Jaime
ReplyDeleteOh, Rose... I feel your post deep inside. My weakness will always be books. I've de-cluttered so much "stuff" in the last 4 years, but there is more work to do on the bookshelves....
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore the feeling of looking at an uncluttered room. It really IS a feeling.
Margin.
Space.
Room to breathe.
My mind works better in uncluttered spaces for I am an incurable visual person (distracted to the extreme).
Good luck, my friend :)
Rose I completely know where you are coming from. More than you can imagine! My favorite rooms in the house is our family room and only two pieces of furniture touch the floor. The rest are hanging chairs because I LOVE the empty spacious look of the beautiful hard wood floors. I take great joy in getting rid of stuff :)Great post!!!
ReplyDeleteRose I too can relate to this story in BIG way. I feel like I'm drowning in stuff. I so desperately want to be rid of the stuff but just can't get motivated or the sentimental pull takes over and I can't move beyond that :(
ReplyDeleteHowever I have made a start this year, baby steps.
Ah Stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt can be an awful curse. I have been watching two friends looking for a new home. Their problem, though, is the stuff. They need another couple of bedrooms to house their accumulated books and craft materials - which will increase the cost by at least a third. If they could only look at their stuff more realistically, they would see that they could afford the house that they need in the place that they want to live, rather than having to move out into the back of beyond just to house it all.
Essentially they will be paying real estate prices to accommodate things that they will very likely never look at again. It is just crazy.
I'm traveling down the same path, Rose. Only problem is, my husband is a pack rat, and can't bear to part even with MY stuff (like, dresses I haven't worn in years... "it looks so pretty, are you sure you don't want to try this on?"). Still, I'm doing what little I can, and every small success is rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI really feel you on this!! It seems like as we have cleared out our basement I keep finding things and thinking--didn't I get rid of that? Should I? Maybe not...then packing it away just to pull out in 2-3 more years. It is silly!!!! I try to be a pretty ruthless purger of Stuff, but it's still hard.
ReplyDelete