One thing I felt in Kenya was the clarity that comes with simple living. With only a suitcase of belongings and limited noise from the cultural distribution tanks of the internet, it was so pleasant realizing I didn't need much to feel satisfied--just work, relationships, and some good ol' fashioned fun in the evenings. Prompted by my experience (and an earlier blogpost by my pastor) I vowed to live a simpler life.
And so it is the middle of my "Simpler September", and there is still work to be done! The big focus was first getting rid of stuff. Clothes, superfluous decorations, sentimental things. So far this has culminated to a cleaned-out room, with a minimalist appearance that I must say is like a breath of fresh air. I also hope to continue having a smaller closet by getting rid of a piece of clothing for every new one I get (we'll see how that goes...). Next up on this decluttering project is more of a service project to my parents--our garage. If you've ever been in there to grab a coke, you know...It's a doozy!
Anyways, for now simpler means less "things"--an ongoing challenge will be simplifying my time and way I spend money. Join me in the autumnal (and ongoing) challenge if you'd like!
3 comments:
I have about 4 full garbage bags in my hallway - all of them will be "returned" to Goodwill. Feels good to get rid of them- but I'll definitely miss some of the "Gems" I've collected.
I love this. I tried to do this after I got back from Ireland. Unfortunately I have accumulated a lot since then. Though I often go on "purges" so maybe eventually I will get to a minimalist look. My stepdad has a "one comes in-one goes out" rule for when my mom and I go to Goodwill...although sometimes we bring stuff in for us and send out some of his stuff.
Moving out for the first [real] time this fall has shown me the INSANE amount of things I have. Every time I take a trip back to my parents' house, I clean out another small space in my room that's filled with remnants of living there for ten years. I want to conquer it by the time I get married or it may never be done!
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