Minimalism II

The culling of the streams of paperwork, possessions, and expectations which find themselves clogging up our daily lives is constant.  It is amazing to me just how much work it takes to continue to pair down, to throw out, to donate, to let go, or to re-prioritize.  Simplicity takes a lot of work.

For now, I've started mainly with possessions.  What we have vs. what we need vs. what we want.  If it has not served a purpose in a year or more, out it goes.  I'm finding that the reasons it's so hard to let go are usually out of guilt or sentiment.  But if it doesn't suit our lifestyle or our needs, then it's only taking up space which in turn just leads to a life of clutter.  Once gone, I find I've soon forgotten what it was in the first place, anyway.  Getting rid of "stuff" is a ruthless endeavor.

I find it's easier to determine what to keep and what to throw (or donate) based on where it's kept.  If it has a home, a specific place that it belongs, then it's likely to be kept so long as there aren't a million of the same thing.  This is also how I deal with the books we accumulate month after month and year after year.  I have two bookcases.  If it doesn't fit, it's time to cull.  Those that we really want to keep, remain.  Those that we kept for a while but are ready to pass on, are taken out to make room for the new.

Clothing is another story entirely, and when I've solved that dilemma I'll write about it.  Right now I have pared my closet down to only what I wear day in and day out which actually means I don't have much of anything in there.  I need to replace some items that are simply too worn and I'm not sure how to do it yet.  Do I shop every summer for cheap tanks knowing they will only last a season?  Or do I shop a few times a year at a high end boutique and slowly build pieces that will last several years?  I have no idea.  I will continue to weigh, readjust, and report back.

I am finding that if I don't really love something, it's likely I'll merely replace it with something that I really do and out goes the old with the Goodwill pile.  I'm trying to do away with this "in between" stage and only buy things I really love the first time around thereby being able to hold on to things for many years and only replace when they are in need of repair, not just because I came across something else.  For example, when we were first married I didn't really know any better or think about it so I bought this horrible dish set which I hated almost since the day after I bought them.  They were bulky, and dark, and chipped easily. I've held on to them out of necessity, but I finally found what I wanted at Ikea and this time, I was smart about it.  Instead of buying the "set," which comes with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs, I bought only what I know we use and have space for.  I bought 8 dinner plates and 8 bowls.  It is perfect for our needs and our lifestyle, it suits a "need" but also fulfills a "want."  The point is to buy something I "want" to fulfill the "need" so as not to be running through many different "things" that will only end up in the trash pile anyway, year after year.

I have also found that minimalism and simplicity go hand in hand with systems and organization.  The better I become at creating a simple, habitual system, the easier it is for me keep things under control and in line with our needs and wants.  The simpler things are, the fuller and richer I feel.

That is, after all, the whole point.    

Day Trip: Verde Valley

Over spring break, we opted for a few quieter, more domestic activities such as buying new furniture, catching up on spring cleaning, and spending time with family and friends.  We did manage a day trip on Wednesday to the Verde Valley where we spent our time in Cottonwood birding, picnicking, and exploring Dead Horse Ranch State Park and the Verde River Greenway, and even indulged in some wine at Arizona Stronghold and Thai food for an early dinner before heading home.

I spent a long time on the banks of the Verde River observing a pack of sunning cormorants, saw my very first ARIZONA Bald Eagle, and identified over 18 species of birds throughout the day.  The highlights were a Bewick's Wren and a Bank Swallow bringing my overall 2015 bird total to 65.