Shedding
May 28, 2008I enjoy minimalism. Things like the smoothness of a empty table and the freedom of open space filled with sunlight pleases my eye. This might stem from the urges I’ve had to escape many of my past living arrangements: A teenage bedroom filled to the brim, a little apartment in Lancaster where floor space was precious, the bottom floor of my in-laws’ already throughly filled house. Add to the confined spaces the fact that I also have a pack rat mentality and you’ve got an even messier problem. The spaces I live in only get smaller due to the amounts of junk I bring along.
So this idea of the kind of home I want to live in works against seventeen or so years of stuff-collection training. Over the years I’ve come to realize that I have lots of stuff that I don’t need and that a bunch of it would be better off in someone else’s hands. My reading collection that at one point filled the shelves of my bedroom to almost fearsome (for they were right above my bed as a child) capacities has been tampered down. Clothes rotate out of my closet to go to second hand stores and I try to not fill my hangers up again just as fast (with more clothes from second hand stores…) My kitchen has a “can live without” box to remove clutter from under or never used gadgets. (I hope this will also find it’s way to second hand stores or charities.)
Other things have changed, too. I have found a particular fondness in downloading my computer games instead of having to deal with leftover boxes and paper manuals. I often shop iTunes for music. Why fill up my office with CDs when I can fill up the space on my hard drive?
Now in my current home of tall ceilings and lovely amounts of windows things feel a bit more balanced. I still have plenty of stuff, but one day I hope to be clutter free and that I will live up 100% to the idea of “Don’t buy it unless it has a place.”
Hrm. The concept of taking over the blenderman wordpress is very tempting; so much in fact that I would be honored. I’m wireless-less for now, since I still have no jobbz….but I’m going to go talk to the local walmart manager today about it. Pray. Sign me up for the blenderman thing. Oh yeah, email me about that one thing we talked about with the me you and neil and drawing and stuff.
Till I Get Freed,
7T
i have too much stuff on my hands too….. especially clothes. i don’t know what to do with them. eeks!
Hey Mandy,
I agree totally with your thoughts. I have recently had the same epiphany and decided that as a mom I should try to show my kids that life can be happy without tons of stuff. With so much pressure on this generation to consume, consume, consume it’s no wonder we have huge houses…a bigger place to keep stuff. And what about the garage?…who uses that for cars anymore?…it’s just another place for even more stuff.
I’m also strongly scared about where all that stuff goes when we no longer want it. Landfills. I don’t think recycling just the recylable items is enough anymore. If you can’t use something to the point when it no longer works or is past repairing…or find someone who can use it to this extent then maybe one should avoid buying it in the first place. (In other words..no new ipod just because your old one isn’t one of the new colours for this season)
Everyone wants to jump on the environmental badnwagon as long as it doesn’t impede their lifestyle.
Anyways…just thought I’d rant a bit since I don’t have a blog of my own. It’s a topic I’m very heated over and hope that more people come to realize how the accumulation of stuff is the old way (like smoking indoors)…minimalism is the way to go!