“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” Marie Kondo
After 26 years of living in one home, moving was an excellent way to de-clutter but I really started the de-cluttering process years before. At first, as I tackled one closet and began to let go of stuff, it felt weird. But the more I did it the easier it became. I kept at it for months and then years and as each child left home it was the perfect opportunity to continue to simplify our house. As A and I got rid of unnecessary things our lifestyle became simpler to the point that now, taking care of our home is quickly done. With fewer belongings it is easier to put things in their proper places.
I was very inspired by Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the magnificently successful de-cluttering bible. In it she encourages us to keep only what we love. A herculean task no doubt but worth every effort. I have found that once I have only what I use and love, the dusting and cleaning is easy. It is a way to honor and appreciate the things I have surrounded myself with and our home glows in that airy and open space.
After our parents died and it was up to us to go through their belongings and clean out their garages and closets, under their beds and their dressers drawers, we woke up to the fact that this was a big, big chore that they avoided and so it fell to us. We decided we would not put our children through that so we have pared down our things to only the most personal, loved and useful. We found that in readying our life to move, grow and change we prepare, as best we can, for the unknown. By anticipating change we eliminated not just physical stuff but cleared space in our minds and hearts for new and exciting things to occur.
Getting rid of the old, unused and unloved items cleared the way for the new, fresh and surprising. We always knew we were going to move one day. Preparing for it months ahead was a very smart thing to do. In fact, I’m convinced that the getting-ready-to-move mindset is brilliant. After all, you can’t really know when you’re going to “move” so why not be ready.
We now live in a two-bedroom condo filled only with things we use and love. Our home is light and clean and pleasant to be in. We operate a home business and happily entertain our family and friends from this new, perfect place. Many wonderful things have happened since I cleared out that first closet so long ago.
I encourage everyone to simplify and see where it leads them.
