Minimllll, Minimmaiscm , ….Minimalism is a hard word to say at this time of day , or any time of the day in fact. I feel that I should keep this blog small , you know due to the subject , but I probably won’t , I meander around the point like a coyote around its prey , Ill get there it just might take me a bit of time.
I like YouTube videos …….
Like many others my wife and usually me will watch a video or ten about the subject regularly , catchy blogger names A to Zen ,The Minimal Mom , minimalist gals , you get the idea and to be fair they are really good . I watch it like a homeowner with a wild and weedy garden watches a gardening programme , feeling guilty , depressed and wondering if you should ever live in the hope of inviting friends around too sit in your garden. These , mostly but not exclusively women , have immaculate homes , to show us how to de clutter they purposefully untidy a small area to re tidy again. One video took us into a living room , telling us how her children had run amok leaving the place a mess , she walks in to three sticks of lego and a soft toy on the floor ! Nothing makes you feel more of a failure than seeing someone else doing so much better.
My home an oasis of space …….not
At home we have had many family conversations about becoming part of the minimmm, miming….oh ..you know what I mean ..revolution and get rid of loads of stuff. Actually Im pretty good , apart from my , as my wife puts it ” little things with plugs” I don’t own lots , my wife, if you exclude her beekeeping stuff , that could fill a warehouse is also pretty good. The Elephant in the room and I am not going to mention who ( our daughter ) is, I swear keeping Chinas economy afloat single handedly. She likes to have an item , a back up in case and also a back up for that back up . She loves to buy from pound shops , you’ll know them a dollar shops in America , its just rubbish or Trash if you’re from over that big bit of water. Why do we make this stuff , let alone buy it ? perhaps we should have a law , that says if you make something you must ensure it can be recycled or you will be paying for it to be dealt with . Listen to me , I sound like a minim….person already , Its now called according to one blogger or Vlogger , living with intention . Im going to be breaking up from school , Im staff if your wondering , not a student , , Summer is here in the Northern hemisphere ( unless you live in Scotland when summer never arrives), we always miss the kids , but six weeks sounds great , I could use it to start my minim……. journey , but why would I want to ? Mmmmmmm……let’s see……(this is a clever link into the next paragraph that answers that very question ).
Why Should I Bother …….?
Well, I just have to walk into a messy room and I don’t know about you but it makes me feel stressed , particularly if it’s in my own home. I went away to a lovely golf club with my wife last year . Before you ask , no I don’t play golf (Yawn ) , but this club had a lodge overlooking the lake and they rent it out . As I opened the door ,the view outside , the clean minimalist space inside , the uncluttered walls just sang to me . There is something about a functional space with nice quality stuff and nothing else that just puts you in a state of relaxation .I lay straight down on the queen size bed , kicked my shoes off and closed my eyes . Then I had a poke in my leg and my wife said ” OY , move over that’s my side of the bed”.
Why would it be good for me?
Perhaps minimalism is anxiety hidden behind a different name? , now there’s a thought . Or perhaps all the stuff around us in our houses remind us of things in the past a bit like mental hoarding but instead of thoughts and memories we collect stuff. Perhaps , and I’m going with a thought here , no idea if it’s right ,what happens if we are buying stuff as a form of control or even distraction ? If so then having them around us might just remind us of the reasons we bought them , increasing our shame .
Really though , is it good for us to love possessions , wouldn’t it be better to love people and experiences instead? Or is it that as trauma survivors we cannot do both these things and like childless people have pets , we have possessions?
I have a friend who used to say if you want to know what someone is really like , just look at their bedroom . We were kids the she said that , I presume that now encompasses our homes . Taking this to its natural end if your home is cluttered then so is your mind.
This summer Im going to de-clutter , I will see if it helps , I have no idea how to get my kids on board with the idea , bribery usually works . I will let you know if it helps . In the interest of minimalism I will stop this post here top…….
Anyway , have a great day , see you soon.
