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.
This week we have a wonderful contribution from Sarah, whose words radiate the calm and peace that comes with a lighter lifestyle. Visit her blog to read more.
Sarah writes:
I had a messy bedroom my entire youth. Oh sure every once in a while I would be inspired to clean up all of my crap… cramming it into drawers and my closet, only to see it all toss itself on the floor and pile itself up on every flat surface it could find within a couple of days.
Then I became an adult and I soon had an entire house to fill up with “treasures” and junk. I would buy clothes that I loved… for a little while. If it was cheap and on sale, the chances that it would end up belonging to me increased at least 75%… if it was free it was definitely coming home with me. I loved yard sales and thrift stores and would spend weekends on “thrift” shopping sprees. Adding to the heaps of stuff I already owned.
Side note: I still love yard sales and thrift stores, but I approach them with much more intention than I used to.
Unfortunately all of these prized possessions started to create more havoc than pleasure. My cluttered house was a heavy burden. My attitude was crumby. I was stressed out. My stuff was making me a basket case.
It took me stepping back and realizing that nothing I had ever purchased was helping me be a better mom, a more loving wife or a kinder person. Not a single knickknack, piece of clothing or gadget made me a better human being. In fact my serial consumerism was even making me a worse citizen to the earth. My consumption of cheap goods meant that I was exploiting people who worked in abhorrent situations. Think sweatshops and slavery. And my habits were also causing more landfill waste.
Over the last year or so I have been taking steps to live more with less. My clothes have been paired down to the things I actually wear and love. My children’s toys are the ones they truly play with. The items in my home are switching over to what I use or believe to be beautiful.
I have readily adopted the attitude that I am worth being surrounded by peace. I am worth following my own passions. I am worth far more than other people’s perceived opinions of how I “should” live.
My children deserve a mom who has tossed aside the frazzled persona.
We all deserve the extra time we have to explore, snuggle, and pursue the activities that bring us joy.
It’s still a journey for us… and it may always be, but travelling this way is so much lighter now.
{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.}
Good that you learned that possessions can possess you. Good that your children see this from you. So glad you are living a more peace-filled live.
Thank you for sharing your story, Sarah! I love this sentence of yours: “I have readily adopted the attitude that I am worth being surrounded by peace.” I think that’s really important – it isn’t just about having less, but finding more peace and quiet by cutting out the endless noise of consumerism that is always telling us to buy more, more, more. This is one of the reasons why I don’t subscribe to magazines and avoid advertising in all forms, including newsletters. Life is much more peaceful without them! :-)
What a powerful resolve.
I wish you all the luck with it.
Thanks for sharing your story.
It’s good to learn that all the stuff you can buy won’t make your life better. Take a step back and relax. I’ve never had lots of stuff and now I have less.
I am having the same journey right now and it feels so good! My children learn from us and start to give away toys they no longer play with. We are all feeling so much lighter although we have a lot of decluttering ahead of us. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your story, it is so inspiring to hear from others on the same journey. I think it is really important to remember the amount of time that we put into just caring for, sorting, and just ‘dealing with’ our STUFF! It is pretty crazy to think about.
We don’t have much stuff and keep getting rid of more. Most of the books in the house belong to my mom who is in a nursing home and I bring her a few every week. I get rid of a pile to Goodwill at least once a week. As we get older, I am not interested in climbing to find something, or digging around in a drawer. Everything has a place it should be.
My daughter moved in over a year ago. We just had some water damage and I want to give away a huge bookcase. Most of the stuff in our home is my daughter ‘s. Books she never read. DVD’s she has never opened, CD’s she never plays. In a year, I use one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner. I use maybe 4 bars of soap. She has a vast collection of make up, toiletries and clothing. My husband uses only prescription grooming products. I would like to live with fewer possessions. I understand she needs more clothes. I understand some stuff. But this is craziness.