Time to Simplify
I have jokingly said to my wife and others that had I not married, I probably would have become one of those collectors that you see on American Pickers. You know the type where Frank and Mike pull up and the land owner is sitting on an old chair surrounded by acres of “junk”.
Over the last year and a half I have changed my mind. I have a little wood letter cutout in my office that says “SIMPLIFY”. It’s ironic that a person like me with a velvet Elvis painting in my office would have those words on display. It has become a goal of mine however with each day that passes. Every time I open my garage door, I cringe because it is a hot mess. It is littered with old bikes (and when I say old, I am speaking from 1940’s to the mid 60’s). There are tons of odds and ends along with many other things. The great purge will begin when the days become warmer.
When I walk into my home office, I have slimmed it down quite a bit but there is more that can be done. Looking at my hobbies, I realize that can be slimmed down as well because one can have to many hobbies and no time to do them. I find it interesting that comedian, George Carlin did an entire standup shtick on stuff. It’s crass but it is brilliant. It’s staggering what percentage of a house a family really uses regularly. If stuff was weeded out then there would be a lot more room and the mindset of bigger is better would begin to erode.So, you are going to begin seeing me weeding things out more and more. Perhaps I will talk about it, blog about it, etc. but I have to be honest...after my mom’s death and going through all of her stuff; at the end of the day what really matters are pictures, memories and a few trinkets.
I know a lot of you reading this might be a minimalist so please feel free to comment on this blog. What is your rule for throwing things out? What about those storage bins downstairs? After two years of not using an item do you pitch/donate them? This will even reflect into my social networking presence. Facebook is going to get weeded out in order to simplify my online life. Instagram will remain open to anyone.
Here’s to simplifying and making the most of what really matters...my faith, family and true friends.x
Over the last year and a half I have changed my mind. I have a little wood letter cutout in my office that says “SIMPLIFY”. It’s ironic that a person like me with a velvet Elvis painting in my office would have those words on display. It has become a goal of mine however with each day that passes. Every time I open my garage door, I cringe because it is a hot mess. It is littered with old bikes (and when I say old, I am speaking from 1940’s to the mid 60’s). There are tons of odds and ends along with many other things. The great purge will begin when the days become warmer.
When I walk into my home office, I have slimmed it down quite a bit but there is more that can be done. Looking at my hobbies, I realize that can be slimmed down as well because one can have to many hobbies and no time to do them. I find it interesting that comedian, George Carlin did an entire standup shtick on stuff. It’s crass but it is brilliant. It’s staggering what percentage of a house a family really uses regularly. If stuff was weeded out then there would be a lot more room and the mindset of bigger is better would begin to erode.So, you are going to begin seeing me weeding things out more and more. Perhaps I will talk about it, blog about it, etc. but I have to be honest...after my mom’s death and going through all of her stuff; at the end of the day what really matters are pictures, memories and a few trinkets.
I know a lot of you reading this might be a minimalist so please feel free to comment on this blog. What is your rule for throwing things out? What about those storage bins downstairs? After two years of not using an item do you pitch/donate them? This will even reflect into my social networking presence. Facebook is going to get weeded out in order to simplify my online life. Instagram will remain open to anyone.
Here’s to simplifying and making the most of what really matters...my faith, family and true friends.x
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