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.
I love this story from Henry, who tells us how he discovered the wonderful lightness of less. Be sure to visit his delightful blog, where he writes about the simple things that make life beautiful.
Henry writes:
I’ve always had a natural compulsion to keep my living space orderly. Papers should be stacked neatly, magazines kept perpendicular to the edge of the table, framed photographs at a jaunty but considered angle.
And yet, as I stumbled through adolescence, I began to accumulate stuff. My bedroom was the sole repository for these possessions and groaned under the burden. Storage methods grew increasingly convoluted. Decluttering simply didn’t occur to me.
University provided a temporary relief, but when that ended and I moved everything back into my room at home, it looked set to burst. The war to stay tidy had been lost. It was clear what I needed…
Under-bed storage!
Alas, I was stuck with one of those silly divan beds. Storing anything more than a few slim paperbacks underneath it was out of the question, so, after failing to wedge my Harry Potter collection under there, I decided it was time for a different approach.
In the end, all it required was a simple change in perspective. What if, instead of testing how much stuff could fit in my bedroom, I considered how little was actually needed to create a space I loved. What did I truly want to furnish my refuge with?
So began a long process of sorting, questioning, and purging, helped along by the wealth of online literature about minimalism. Bag after bag went to the local charity shop and recycling centre. It was a liberating experience. I felt lighter and my bedroom could finally breathe.
It was around this time that my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness. We enjoyed two years with him in remarkably good health, and then he died.
I had moved home again for the final few months and stayed to help my mum move house. She was committed to a significant downsize, plus there was an out-building full of things to sort through. It took a solid month.
Decluttering the family home and dealing with my father’s possessions was a stark reminder of the burden our stuff can become.
Then the pendulum swung. Awkward transaction timings and a shambolic removal company meant we arrived at the new house with a three week wait for our belongings. Adding to our woes was a lack of phone signal and delays with the internet provider.
No sofa. No beds. No crockery. No TV, internet or phones. We’d brought a small collection of personal things like clothes, toiletries, laptop and a guitar, and we were generously lent camping chairs and bedding. Two storage boxes and a borrowed side table formed our dining area. From inundation to emptiness.
Despite our trepidation, it turned out to be a rewarding, even fun, experience. We would walk to the local pub without locking up. We talked and read in the evenings. We played guitar and sang together. I went for long walks and started writing my blog. Crucially, we’d brought the Scrabble board. Many close games were fought and many imaginative words were conjured, misspelt, or simply made up.
We debated which item to retrieve from storage if granted access. Our beds were the priority, as was a comfy chair each. Perhaps some books. Beyond that, we struggled to think of things we missed.
Now, I’m certainly not suggesting one lives in an empty house, or that people who own fewer things out of necessity feel free. Just that the space and serenity, away from clutter and digital distractions, was refreshing. We realised how superfluous a lot of our stuff is, and how privileged we are to have it.
Within these two months I had experienced the onus of excess and the lightness of less. It was a valuable lesson. My original foray into minimalism was given fresh momentum.
I do my best to carry these values with me today. I constantly try to minimise down to the essentials, which keeps me light and mobile. I’m learning to reject consumerism and appreciate what I have. I try to take an interest in the smaller details of daily life. And, above all, I don’t store books under the bed.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or joining my email list.}
I love this fresh take on what’s really needed…sort of like camping out at home. It might only be a thought experiment for me, but worth thinking about!
Well said!!
Favorite lines: “What if, instead of testing how much stuff could fit in my bedroom, I considered how little was actually needed to create a space I loved. What did I truly want to furnish my refuge with?”
I need to change my perspective to this as well. I don’t have a lot but certainly don’t need all I have!
Hi Henry,
Thanks for telling us about your interesting journey. I just read The Barman and you write well! Keep it up!
Cheers,
Gaby
Really enjoyed your post and have enjoyed reading several posts from your blog. Now, I do actually have books under my bed, I tell myself I will read them and donate or toss them one day. But will I? Thanks for an inspiring post, I’m going to think a little more about those books!
I loved this post and subscribed to your blog, and look forward to reading through the rest of your archive. Very stripped down and lovely writing. Thank you for the inspiration.
Thanks for sharing your story, Henry. What an interesting experience you’ve been trough with an empty house, it’s times like these we learn what’s essential to us :)
I took another bag of recycling out this morning and I have another bag for Goodwill. I have also boxed up some glassware to take to Goodwill this trip. My daughter gave me two sweaters to give away. I am proud of her because it is hard for her to let go of things. She also gave me three hats she doesn’t need. Since she moved in with us and I do laundry whenever I have enough for a load she doesn’t need so much. She just said it was hard to move with so much stuff. I never had much stuff and I keep just what I think I will need.
Moving has always led to more paring down, for me. I love your description of the early days in the new house. It sounds lovely!
Thank you for all your kind comments. What a great community you have here! The Joy of Less was actually the first book on minimalism I ever read, back when I was clearing out my bedroom, so it’s nice to come full circle and tell the story.
And thank you to Francine for having me.
We just came back from a 10 day Caribbean cruise. My Husband and I each had a carry on bag and a small tote. Our cabin was inside and about 150 square feet. I told my husband that it the bed folded into the wall we could live in a space that small. Our cabin had a bigger TV than we have, more linens than we have, and life jackets. Plus there was a safe and a bar stocked with supplies and glassware we could do without. There was also a small refrigerator. A lot of under the bed storage was lost because the bed was heavily anchored to the floor. Where we live now, the library is next door and we have laundry facilities in our unit. But we could go much smaller.
My kids came and took more stuff. I emptied a bookcase and filled another bag for Goodwill. Then I made a big pile of books and magazines to give away.I only need one book for each type of art project I make. I also got rid of more papers. I am trying to get my daughter to give away the clothes she hasn’t worn in two years. I brought my plants in for the winter. Now I have to sweep my balcony.