Minimalism is not just about throwing things away or donating them or selling them. Getting rid of things is just a small part of the whole minimalism journey. Minimalism means living a more conscious life, thinking about what you really need and how you want to spend your life.
Since I have kind of started on my minimalist journey, I am more aware of things in our house. We had these two-three things that we never use but somehow I keep seeing them around the house. My husband's old TT racket and a ashtray from an old car. I would see them here and there. And sometimes the kids would pick them and play for a while and them throw them. The maid would keep them on shelf and we would all forget about it.
This weekend I finally threw them away. It really felt good. Why did we keep them in the first place. How did they become a part of the flotsam in our house? I think in these two particular cases, it was sheer laziness and not being aware of what things we have.
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I have sold some more of my books - for throwaway prices I must add but I don't see any alternative. I did give one of my friends first pass at taking any of the books she wanted. She took a few and I sold the rest. Then I sold some more. And now I have identified a few more I want to get rid of.
You know books are a kind of prestige issue. I have enjoyed the Shopaholics series but I think I will never tell anyone that. The fear of being taken for a simple person? Not an intellectual?
So, I have kept books that I have not really enjoyed but I have kept them because they are classics or because they are very critically acclaimed or they were highly recommended by someone "intellectual". I always thought that I should re-read them and maybe I will understand them better. I didn't like the Alchemist or the novels of Murakami or anything by Marquez (have no patience for fantasy realism if that is the right word for Marquez). But I thought I "should" like them.
Finally I understand I don't have to like anything. So I am throwing away (almost) any book I would not be interested in re-reading.
Since I have kind of started on my minimalist journey, I am more aware of things in our house. We had these two-three things that we never use but somehow I keep seeing them around the house. My husband's old TT racket and a ashtray from an old car. I would see them here and there. And sometimes the kids would pick them and play for a while and them throw them. The maid would keep them on shelf and we would all forget about it.
This weekend I finally threw them away. It really felt good. Why did we keep them in the first place. How did they become a part of the flotsam in our house? I think in these two particular cases, it was sheer laziness and not being aware of what things we have.
---------------------
I have sold some more of my books - for throwaway prices I must add but I don't see any alternative. I did give one of my friends first pass at taking any of the books she wanted. She took a few and I sold the rest. Then I sold some more. And now I have identified a few more I want to get rid of.
You know books are a kind of prestige issue. I have enjoyed the Shopaholics series but I think I will never tell anyone that. The fear of being taken for a simple person? Not an intellectual?
So, I have kept books that I have not really enjoyed but I have kept them because they are classics or because they are very critically acclaimed or they were highly recommended by someone "intellectual". I always thought that I should re-read them and maybe I will understand them better. I didn't like the Alchemist or the novels of Murakami or anything by Marquez (have no patience for fantasy realism if that is the right word for Marquez). But I thought I "should" like them.
Finally I understand I don't have to like anything. So I am throwing away (almost) any book I would not be interested in re-reading.
