Exploring Minimalism: Recognizing Clutter

Exploring Minimalism: Recognizing Clutter

 A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . .When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. —Victoria Moran

I have always been known to be a simple girl. Yes, I have dreamed of owning a big house and driving a nice car, but I haven't really wanted a luxurious life. If you've experienced poverty at some point in your life which I did, a house and a car would be more than enough.

For a long time, I thought I was living a non-materialistic life until our recent move to a new house this month. In a span of twelve years, we have moved seven times. The first four were easy because it was only my husband and I. We didn't really have much. It was when we started raising a family and purchased a larger home that we started to accumulate more things. We thought we have purged enough with all the moving over the years, but still found ourselves with a lot of stuff. We don't have any collections of purses or a closet full of shoes (thank goodness), not even a fine china for display, but we were still overwhelmed. As we went through our stuff, we were stressed. We didn't find joy in most of them. It wasn't a good sign.

I hate that we had to move again, but I felt it was a very good timing as I started to explore minimalism. Learning about The Minimalists and Joshua Becker's journeys to minimalism is eye-opening. We already had a yard sale prior to our move, but we're getting ready to have another one. I am ready to get rid of clutter in our life. I want a simple life again.