Minimalism ...

Ha! This is my reaction to minimalism. It's just not gonna happen at my house! I have pondered this due to a large quanity of blog posts, books and discussion around me. I think sometimes that I could be a minimalist but that's probably just because I am comparing myself to my husband and son. They seem to have an anti-minimalist gene - aka hoarding. But, it's not really either of those things. It's more like extreme sentimentality "can't get rid of that because..." syndrome.

They aren't failing the minimalist test due to greed, desire or excessive materialism, they just love the stuff they have. Not because they want to have a lot of stuff but because they have looooonngg memories and attach these memories to the physical objects from the memory moment. It's like their brains work differently than mine. I remember stuff - kind of... Ok, I don't have the clarity of memory details they have, but I don't really remember more or better if there is a physical reminder.

I sometimes envision a VERY minimalistic home environment. Then I realize that I too have a lot of stuff. The irony is that it's mostly crap. It's not really sentimental or meaningful to me, it's just stuff we've had a long time. I love my husband but really - I could minimize a lot of stuff! However, because I love him I work to understand his need to keep stuff. Marek is like this also, emotional attachment to items. I have very few attachments to specific physial itmes. I try to promote organizational systems for the stuff and the collections. It is important to love them and accept their needs even while pondering a purge!

I have been getting rid of various clothes, home furnishings and some stuff from when Marek was a baby. I am promoting donating it to those who are in need I have to be slow, subtle and gentle. Also, intuitive about the items that will mean the most to them. I'm making progress on organization and some minimizing. Compared to many we are minimal but not as minimal as I like to dream of being!


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