We live in a time like none other. We. Have. So. Much. Stuff.
Recently, my mother-in-law passed away. Her husband, my father-in-law, passed less than two years before. It has been very difficult for my husband, as he has had to go through his childhood home and deal with a lifetime of belongings while he is grieving. In moments like these, when lives end, it often becomes so clear that all of these things that we buy, that we value, will be meaningless when we are gone.
My husband and his brothers filled two dumpsters with belongings from the house. I drove to the Salvation Army at least fifteen times during the days that we cleaned. There were things that the family wanted, of course. But the vast majority of the items were donated or thrown in the garbage. Things that my in-laws owned, that they took care of during their lives, that they worked hard in order to be able to afford.
Now, with the things that my husband chose to keep from his parents, we have far too many things in our own home. Our garage is full, our closets. It is a little disheartening, because before this we had been working on minimizing our possessions. We had not anticipated this, of course. Now, we have taken a few steps backwards. When we are ready, we will begin minimizing again. We now know that we feel much better when we have less things cluttering our space.
The journey towards minimalism looks different for everyone. I know that some people are very strict about this term, and only apply it in very extreme cases. However, as we wade through our lives that overflow with possessions, I think most of us feel that pull towards owning less. Because owning something comes with responsibility. You must find a place for the thing in your house, you must figure out how to use it, keep it in good condition, figure out what to do with it when you no longer want it. It takes time, energy, effort. It’s easy to forget that when something shiny catches my eye. It’s easy to give in to the urge to buy something, to have it add meaning and novelty to my life. The high only lasts a short while, however, and then it is just another thing in your home.
How much is enough? How do you keep yourself there, and stop the consumerism cycle?
design + surrender 