Day 34: Simplicity

Jul 19

A silver lining of quarantine for my family has been simplifying our lives. Our weekends instantly became a lot simpler once we stopped going many places, so there’s not much of a schedule to coordinate. We’ve also been simplifying our household clutter to free up valuable space, physically and mentally.

One of Darren’s and my ongoing frustrations is managing the STUFF in our home. We’re constantly putting away the toys and magazines and clothes strewn about and not being able to find the things we’re looking for.

This year, a major goal of ours has been to get rid of whatever we don’t need and organize the rest. Marie Kondo’s guidance to “discard everything that does not spark joy” is truly life-changing. If it’s not useful, beautiful, or delightful, there’s no reason for us to have it. Too much stuff is suffocating, and I can literally breathe easier when we drop a carload off at Goodwill.

Simplicity is a challenge for me because complexity is in my nature. In the words of Thoreau, I want to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life,” so I tend to overthink, overdo, and over-communicate. I bring five books on vacation so I have a variety to choose from. When presented with a task (like writing this post), my mind spins out into ten different angles I could take and a dozen examples I might include.

While this “more is more” approach makes for a rich world of ideas, in the physical realm it contributes to hoarding items that are informational, sentimental, or artistic. Books, magazines, and even college notebooks (so much knowledge inside!) fill my shelves and cabinets. Old journals, photos, CDs, and other keepsakes are stuffed into boxes and shoved into closets. Fancy art supplies and sheet music wait patiently for me to have time for them again. Collectively, they represent my aspirational self, the one who will thrive in the world thanks to her knowledge and creativity. As June Saruwatari, author of Behind the Clutter, says, “You hold onto things based on hope.”

As I’m getting older, though, I’m learning to let go of more material things so I can make more use of the ones I choose to keep. Many are remnants of previous versions of myself: clothing that’s not really my style anymore, or books I probably won’t get around to. It’s likely that half of my miscellaneous “TO FILE” file can go in the recycling bin.

Having an abundance mentality and a healthy detachment means that you don’t need to cling to things that aren’t serving you; you can thank something for its service, as Marie Kondo advises, and release it. Each time I let go of physical clutter, I open up space for a new opportunity to come into my life.

When we have less, we value what we have more, and we have more room to engage with it. It’s not my cabinet of stuff that is helping me become my aspirational self -- it's zeroing in on what really matters to me and letting go of the rest.

* How I’ve evolved: Having a clearer sense of what sparks joy for me. Investing in higher quality items that will last and make me happy, rather than just get the job done.

* How I’m evolving: Being less sentimental about physical things: saving only the ones that really matter. Getting rid of, instead of holding onto, items that "I might use someday.”

Links:

- Marie Kondo explains Spark Joy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AvWs2X-bEA

- Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379

- Outer Order, Inner Calm, by Gretchen Rubin: https://gretchenrubin.com/books/outer-order-inner-calm/about-the-book

- Essentialism, by Greg McKeown: https://gregmckeown.com/book/

- Zen Habits, by Leo Babauta: https://zenhabits.net/

You’re welcome to join me anytime for The Evolving 40. On the daily theme, think: “How have I evolved? How am I evolving?”

Post in the comments below or on your own social with the hashtag #evolving40. Whatever comes up is what’s meant to be.