In 2015, I remember going through the painful process of trying Marie Kondo’s KonMari method. It was hard to make the decision to let go of things. I saved quite a bit in storage but got rid of about 50% of our possessions as we downsized from 2800 sq feet to 400 sq ft. We lived in a camper for a year and it quickly became clear to me what my biggest purchases are. Books are number one and clothes are second. Not too surprising since we are a homeschooling family and I’ve been a bookworm since I learned to read. π π I could always be found w my nose in a book as a kid and I’m thankful to pass that on to my little ones. If they express even a hint of interest in a book, I will buy it. Of course there are six of us and we all need clothes. Especially the growing little ones. We have been given a ton of hand-me-downs which I’m so grateful for. It did surprise me to see how much we accumulated in the process of living in our camper and then a small, 2 bedroom home. I was flabbergasted when I gazed at how much was left after we moved everything we wanted into our new home. When I went back to the old home, it seemed like new stuff appeared. π€¦πΌ♀️π€¦πΌ♀️π€¦πΌ♀️ We filled up half of a garage w our left over items. I still need to go through these things...
Again I’m talking about Carrie Simple and the wisdom she shares in this video...
I lamented to her about all of the clutter that accumulated after my first big purge. Here is what she had to say...
“Let me say one thing to that discouragement: I actually am starting to see where my frustrations with minimalism lie. Particularly, it’s in the shaming of excess. It’s not intentional and it’s often steeped in all sorts of encouragement so I think the good of the message balances out most of the time. But I have dealt with that same discouragement SO MANY TIMES over the years, and it’s not helpful at all.
Seeing the excess stuff is not a loss for you- it’s a win! It’s not the stuff that is the problem- that stuff probably served a purpose that you prioritized in that moment, and that doesn’t have to be something you feel bad for. I think what is more important than simplifying is being mindful or conscious of our consumption, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE DOING. By noticing you have more, and by making that move, you see excess. Learn from it, but don’t be embarrassed or ashamed by it. Count it as a win that you see it, because that’s really what this ENTIRE thing is about- being aware.”
I love everything about that message and asked Carrie if I could share it w all of you. This blog is a chronicle of our journey. It’s a learning process in so many ways. I’m thankful to share all of this with you and I appreciate your patience as I’m writing g all of my posts from my phone these days. Unfortunately, that makes editing near impossible once I’ve published a post so please forgive the typos π€¦πΌ♀️ they are not uncommon on this blog anywayπ
I’m looking forward to sharing more of our simplifying journey with you. I’m so thankful to have gone through this before because I know how freeing it can be to have this weight lifted. I also feel the process gets easier each time I do it. I know it can feel painful at first but in the end, I know that these are all temporary things in our lives. I’ve seen things come and go and it’s much easier to get rid of the excess than it used to be. There is peace in less. There is joy in simplicity. There is freedom in letting go.
Thank you for reading.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family
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