More and more people are joining this movement. What makes it one of the coolest and most beneficial lifestyles to follow in today’s cluttered world? Everything I have read indicates minimalism is a lean, agile lifestyle. It may be necessitated by financial restrictions or handicaps like mine - that monthly SS check. Others choose minimalism even though financial limitations do not apply. Think the Tiny House movement. You can read about it here. The American Dream has shifted to an uncluttered one with a tiny house on wheels.
Now I tried downsizing but my tiny house turned out to be a 3BR2BA single wide trailer and that did not work out to well. My daughter and her kids crashed the party and trashed the house. By the time you read this I will likely be without power, hunkered down
with the family and our pets as hurricane Florence blows across North Carolina.
You don't have to purchase a tiny house to be a minimalist - a small apartment will do just fine. The goal is to declutter your life and strip it down to what you need. To a minimalist that loves books you my keep scores of books.I - on the other hand have eye problems so I read a Kindle. My book storage requirements are the kindle itself and some "cloud" space.
Decluttering can be a hard thing to do - most of us get emotionally attached to our stuff and so when it's time to bid adieu to that stuff you may find yourself in a deep emotional
conflict. Keep at it. Don't give up. when it's done it's really done.
My ideal minimalist space is a simple 1BR1BA apartment - maybe even a studio apartment. Need room for a guest, my dog Ginger and my wide screen HDTV. I really do need that. Hockey season starts soon. That makes me a happy guy.
The secret to having it all is knowing that you already do. It is a wise person that understands the truth in that statement. Tammy is a wise person - and generous as she shares that nugget with her readers regularly.
One of the joys of life on the simple side is you are in control of it. You own it - the clutter is gone so there is no excuse to not do what you want, listen to a song whenever you wish.
You can even choose to be a social butterfly if you wish. Tammy is something of a social butterfly in the very best essence of the term. One of the very best things about blogging is the interaction with people from all over, and Tammy's comments can be seen in several places. Her level of contentment is amazing as I have never seen a negative comment save maybe disliking a song by a fave singer of mine. If memory serves, he held a note so long it bothered her - LOL. Well lets try that one again Ms James - lol
By the way - do you know that our pal Tammy is related to a gent named Jesse James? I wonder if she inherited his shooting prowess - or if maybe the Marine did.
So that is my little tribute to my buddy Tammy - an absolute sweetheart and a good friend, even if she is in Oklahoma ( that's a Texas thing) and the person that kick started my interest in the simple life. We'll see ya next week with another 2-on-1 topic featuring eastern (Ramana) and western takes on the weekly topic.
Well, you sure hit the nail on the head describing how emotional issues can make decluttering difficult. Rightsizing downsizing, decluttering are all designed to help us get to a minimalist approach I expect. Maybe I should just be doing them all.
ReplyDeleteHope you can enjoy your HDTV and upcoming sports events. Maybe your future will allow you have your ideal setup, meanwhile we have to make the most of what we have.
It will take a while as there is about to be a return to Texas in my life. My daughter has friends and support which she will need as she does battle with Huntington's Disease. Once she is settled in I will look after my needs.
DeleteI'm glad your daughter has that support and hope all goes as well as possible. Wishing you well, too, as important to take care of yourself.
DeleteSome of us can declutter everything in our lives except our families. One side refused to let go. In my case, it is my son and daughter in love who refuse to let me go to an assisted living facility so that I can be among my books and computer and little else. Despite that, I have been successful in decluttering my wardrobe, and other possessions and my personal comfort zone is almost austere bar the recliner, one luxury that I am loath to surrender. From a dandy a few years ago, I have now become a simple dresser always in our native white dress that makes choosing what to wear on a given day a very simple affair! I have given up driving and depend on cabs and autos and in any case hardly ever leave my home.
ReplyDeleteAnd, it is a big and, our commitments usually tether us down to a degree of clutter in personal lives. That, I think is acceptable though the aggressive proponents of minimalism stress that it should be dropped too.
I didn't know about the Jesse James connection! Wow!
I'm not sure if my lifestyle could be described as minimalist. On the one hand my ongoing needs are few - internet access, a TV, a phone, a few CDs and books - and I regularly chuck out things I no longer have any use for or interest in. On the other hand, I live in a large house with all the furniture that's needed for a large house. And I also have a large garden. So where does that leave me?
ReplyDeleteHappy, I assume andif so that is the whole point of the exercise.
Deleteoh Shack. I'm sitting here now in chills and with tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI just listened to Israel singing. and the pictures of him living his beautiful simple life in paradise called Hawaii. I didn't even know he died. what a beautiful soul he was.
and then reading your post. and no. Ed Ames still makes me hyperventilate when he holds that note!LOL! I wish he didn't. but he has a good voice too. and he's so good at throwing a tomahawk. private joke.
I see you Shack as a lover of life and a simple one. just give you your music and TV and your Ginger and the sticky loud love of little people when you can stand it! LOL! and hockey. speaking of … a guy that used to live here had a little black French bulldog. you know the kind with the big eyes and always snuffy! his name was Hockey Puck. the dog not the guy. but the guy just called him Puck. I loved those two characters. I think they had to move because he would swim in the pool and Puck would jump in and swim to him. I loved to watch them! oh. and if you can figure out how to help my mouth become more minimal please let me know. because it's so NOT. and it won't hurt my feelings one bit.
stay safe my Shack. and only you know that if it blows all away and leaves you and yours safe … that's what matters! Florence can't take memories. XO
and Rummy... I'm sure I have outlaws or pirates in my family. but Jesse was a distant cousin to my husband. Bob James! Granpa James was about 10 when Frank and Jesse would ride up and have dinner with them... running from the law. when they left … under each plate was a gold piece. which of course would help the settlers buy supplies. I suppose that's why they were called the Robin Hoods of the West.
still they were bank robbers and probably murderers!
Florence has proven to be a big miss where it concerns me - Hickory, where I live is dry and safe although we may get some rain tonight. All in all, it has been interesting,
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