Out of the Mire
…because thriving is the goal
Could You Give Most of It Away?
I just started reading Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki.
Maria Kondo struck a nerve in America with her runaway hit The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I, however, need to do more than just tidy up. I need to purge. Do you know what I mean?
I’ve lived in my house for 19 years. That’s a long time to live in a singular space, and, while I make it a point to donate gently used items quarterly (or we would have nowhere to hang our hats), it’s nowhere near enough. I have four daughters. Children seem to amass large quantities of things. People give them things. They collect things. They want to keep them forever. I understand that. I feel sentimental about certain things. Children, however, seem to feel sentimental about almost everything–even that used napkin from last Tuesday when their friend came over and used it to wipe dirt off the floor. It’s actually a testament to their wonder, I think, and capacity to be 100% present.
And if you have a basement?! God have mercy on you.
Another round of donating is not what I’m about to embark on. In ten months, I am moving house. Three years ago, I announced on this blog that my marriage was ending after years of back-and-forthing and writing about domestic violence and emotional abuse and, “Is it really that bad?” A year-and-half ago, I went back to graduate school, and next summer three of my daughters and I are headed West–to the Bay Area. To live in a very small space no doubt. It’s the beginning of another new adventure.
So, I have to examine every single thing I own and decide: Do I need this or not? And, I wasn’t sure how to go about doing that. That’s why I picked up Sasaki’s book. I figured, hey, there must be some good advice in here. At a minimum, maybe I’ll feel inspired or mentored. Sasaki, thusly, defines minimalism as:
“Minimalism is a lifestyle in which you reduce your possessions to the absolute minimum you need. Living as a minimalist with the bare essentials has not only provided superficial benefits like the pleasure of a tidy room or the simple ease of cleaning, it has also led to a more fundamental shift. It’s given me a chance to think about what it really means to be happy.” (pp. 20-25).
Here is an example of a minimalist bedroom:
A minimalist kitchen:
A minimalist bathroom:
A minimalist living room:
I have noticed that all of these images are super posh, and, in my opinion, this should be more accessible. What does a middle-of-the-road minimalistic apartment or house look like? You know, where ordinary people reside. Of note, this is not a movement aimed at people living in poverty. First-world countries are heavily affected by consumerism and capitalistic expenditures, and the USA tops that list with China and Japan featuring second and third. Americans are awash in stuff:
The USA features the highest levels of per household disposable income and expenditure. High income levels boost the capacity for discretionary spending of US households, although the country’s income gap remains large and continues to rise. (Euromonitor International)
I wonder what sort of impact those of us with too much stuff would have on our communities if we donated the items we truly don’t need and seldom if ever used and stopped using our income to acquire more goods, thusly, changing how we “consume”? Furthermore, what sort of impact would this have on our time–an invaluable resource? I imagine that owning less means having more time, too, because we have to dedicate time to caring for our stuff. How might we spend our resources if we moved in a minimalistic direction with intention? Over the next 10 months, I intend to find this out. I can tell you right now what my two biggest problems are going to be–whittling down the book collection, my kitchen implements because I am a cook, and tea accoutrements. I have an unusually large number of really beautiful teacups most of which were gifted to me, and I can’t take them all with me.
Perhaps I ought to do a giveaway! One teacup a week…
Anyone like teacups? English teacups? And then there are the Yixing teapots…
Oy vey…
God have mercy indeed (I’m actually sort of excited to see how this experiment turns out).
Further Reading:
- The Chef Approved Guide to a Minimalist Kitchen
- Equipping a Minimalist Kitchen
- The Tiny Life on Minimalism
Currently on the Nightstand
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Out of the Mire 