Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
Today we meet Sophie, who tells us how a simple home improvement project led to a wonderful new lifestyle.
Sophie writes:
It All Started With the Hardwood Floors
In a small photo album on my bookshelf, I keep a picture from 2006: a huge dining room hutch cupboard, every shelf loaded with knickknacks and totchkes. All of them had to be dusted regularly; all (the hutch included) are long gone. But I’m getting ahead of the story . . .
It all started with the hardwood floors. In 2006, a relative died and left my mother a small inheritance. Since money had been tight since my father died in 2004, we had not had the means to do some necessary repairs and renovations on our 60 year old house. Now we were able to sit down and decide on our priorities. One of these was tearing up the old, funky wall-to-wall carpeting and renovating the hardwood floors. The hardest part? No, not stripping, sanding, polishing and sealing the floors; oh, no, it was moving all of our STUFF to actually get at the floors. Bookcases, tables, a sofa, a loveseat, more bookcases (a total of four, all stuffed with books), um, more tables, assorted statues and, well, more STUFF that had to be moved from one room to the next in order to get to the floor. And then the light bulb went on over my head. Instead of having to move all this STUFF back, why not just . . .get rid of it? Go through it, keep the best and give away the rest. And that was what we did. Every drawer, every bookshelf, every closet, every dark, cluttered corner was searched and cleaned. Relatives and friends who stopped by were happy to receive items that they had long admired; various charities received donations of furniture, books, clothing, unopened sheet sets, and other useful items. Slowly, our house took on a more open, spacious and light-filled atmosphere. I could literally feel fresh air, light and energy flowing through our now-uncluttered rooms. And we could see our beautiful floors! Phase One of the Great Purge was over.
Nothing succeeds like success, and my family and I found additional ways to declutter and simplify our lives. As time went on, we went from owning four cars to owning two (and my background as a transportation analyst became very useful.) The clotheslines my father had installed in the backyard sixty years ago suddenly had a new lease on life as I discovered how energy-efficient and pleasant it was to hang the laundry out to dry. My sister’s long-neglected raised garden beds also had a new life as my family learned to grow vegetables (we were defeated by the eggplant, however.)
As we conclude the eighth year of our ongoing minimalist journey, we are continually discovering new ways to simplify our lives. That is the beauty of a minimalist lifestyle: it is fluid, flexible and adaptable. We have kept some practices, jettisoned others, and tried new ones. That is the core of minimalism and simple living: it can (and will) change as needed. And most of all, it is so liberating and fun! By eliminating the unnecessary and superfluous from my life, I now have the time to appreciate and enjoy what I have. I have found that my family and I can do regular decluttering of our house to keep it open and clean and this has become one of the most enjoyable aspects of our journey. And this is a journey – destination unknown, but we’re having a lot of fun getting there. I might even try growing those eggplants again next summer.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Inspiring story which just goes to show success begets success. I had a similar experience whereby I felt an overwhelming sense of relief by backing up all my important documents on the Cloud, since then I have simplified every aspect of my life which helps me to think clearly.
What a great story! I hope the postscript is that your hardwood floors look beautiful! ;-)
It is a lovely story. The lightness and clarity that come with clearing out surplus stuff leave us with time to live, breathe and grow – good luck with the eggplants!
“It is fluid, flexible, and adaptable” is so right–no rules–just learning and growing with each step–I love that your family is enjoying the journey so much too:)
https://awellstockedlife.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/the-legacy-of-owning-stuff-be-careful-what-you-dont-purchase/
Would have been great to have a before and after shot. Great story about letting go of things that just clutter not only our homes but our minds. I’m unsure if Francine ever undertook the 100 count challenge, but it reminds me of, what I would call, the ultimate minimalist. Just finished a book on Julian Assange, the creator and publisher of Wikileaks. Due to his nomadic lifestyle, what few possessions he has are 2 laptops (with cables), 2-3 cell phones and a few article of clothing. His count would probably be around 30!
A beautifully-written account, and one to which I can relate totally! After a long-term partner and I split up, I felt the need to completely redecorate and renovate throughout the home in which I stayed. It was the prospect of having to box up, store, move, unbox, stuff that spurred me onto a huge decluttering purge. I still have a way to go, but slowly and surely is better than not at all. Thanks for sharing your story!
As we keep purging, we buy less and less. I find we need fewer and fewer things to feel complete. We garden on our small balcony and keep some flowers over the winter to put back out the next spring.
Nothing like having to move everything you own (even if just in one room) in and out to replace the flooring – I’ve done it – and I love your response to it. Keep the best and let go of the rest, indeed!
That phrase struck me too — keep the best, give away the rest. Good words to remember!
Great story! I just love it when we are working on simplifying one area of our life & then, like a ripple effect, our eyes get opened to different areas. Even small changes can end up making huge impacts. As far as the eggplants go…not so good here either:)!
I am giving away more each week. I have a few hobby items I am keeping, but most are going to craft programs. There was an article in Sunday’s paper about Travelling with much less. We are planning another cruise, this time to Alaska.
I am visiting my brother for a week. I took a 19″ suitcase about 1/2 full. The clothes that are too small for my SIL will fit my mother so I will bring some back with me.
I gave away 2 sweaters and bought a sweatshirt. Hoping to get more cabinets emptied out. My houseplants are blooming and I am growing more. Soon I will be able to see buds on the trees and shrubs in my neighborhood.