The hot trend of today is to let go of your stuff and minimize your life. Become a minimalist they say! It’s easy, just get rid of things that don’t add value to your life.
I love the idea of minimalism and get it, and…I have tried implementing it in so many ways only to succumb to moments of “OMG, I fricken’ needed that item I just donated, or worse, I just threw it away yesterday.”
Grrr…dang it minimalists… “Why oh, why did I do that and now feel regret?”
Breathe…just breathe…it will be okay. And, you know what? It is always okay.
Despite those regretful moments, I am making strides now that I’ve hit my 50’s. I am getting better at letting go of clutter. I’ve found comfort in applying a quaint revival test to things to make it easier to let go. I’ve also found out there’s more to life than just trying to spend it getting rid of clutter. Oh yeah, empty nesting tends to prompt one to change as well!
Empty rooms are sad to me, on one hand, but full of possibilities on the other hand.
The key to finding clutter balance is to surround yourself with just the right amount of stuff, have a specific home for each item, and put it back where it belongs if/when you use or move it. After reading every organizing book out there, (well, okay, so maybe not every single one, but 40 or so of them…) that’s the gist of living a minimal and organized life.
The most important thing is be real with yourself. Stuff is just stuff, but if you decide to keep it, love it!
I’ve embraced my dubious side. I’m the Queen of Dubious Minimalism TM, I may just be a wee-bit hopeless, resolute and attracted to embracing the quaintness of things and people in life. <Sigh> And with my quirks, comes keeping a few unnecessary things that make me smile when I look at them.
To that end, I keep things that bring me joy and arrange them in ways that appeal to me. And, yes, I also rebelliously grin to myself when I know the items I’ve kept may just make Joshua and Ryan from The Minimalist wrinkle their noses up in a dubious way.
I loved your thought of empty room is sad but still it’s full of possibilities. Great
Thank you KuminKueche, I’m glad you appreciated the empty room post. We’ve decorated it a bit since, and have a place for snacks…might have to try out one of your recipes! They look delicious https://kuminkueche.wordpress.com/