It's Time to Lighten Up!
It used to happen every spring. I’d dream of a clean, fresh start, a light, airy home, and Pinterest-kissed simplicity. (Cue the piles of junk in my closet laughing at me.) Ugh. There it was. ALL THE STUFF. Just getting in my way, messing up my fantasy of minimalism, and adding zero to my life. No matter how many overloaded garbage bags I donated, there were always more to fill. I craved a more minimal lifestyle, and the clutter was an ongoing source of floating anxiety.
That was then. This is now. I’m getting smarter, for real. I don’t hold onto things so tightly these days. I give myself permission to keep only what I love or use. Instead of thinking of everything I need to get rid of, I focus on what I genuinely want to keep. Do I really need 4 colanders? Nope. One favorite one does just fine. Will those uncomfortable sandals ever do anything but disappoint me? Nah. I’m better off without them. I shop more carefully, bring fewer things into my home, and generally feel better with less. It’s a relief. A more minimal approach.
Don’t get me wrong. I still have a long way to go. But, I’m on the right path. Any effort I make toward lightening my load is a good one. It will take time, but (little darlin’) here comes the sun.
For me, all of this May sunshine brings an urge to purge. Maybe you're feeling it, too. For spring cleaning with a punch of minimalism, try these spirit-lifting ideas with me:
- Donate extra bedding. Just keep two sets of sheets per bed, and keep only favorite blankets and pillows.
- Donate every single piece of clothing you don’t feel good in. Boom! If we do nothing more this spring, we’ve accomplished something.
- Take a minimal approach to books. Keep only the ones you love, use, or need. And, when you’re finished, come to my house and take a few hundred more. (Hey, I’m working on it.)
- Part with all of the extra bottles of shampoos, lotions, and potions you don’t use.
- It’s okay to ditch unwanted gifts. There’s no rule that says we have to keep ‘em forever.
- Say goodbye to anything you don’t love having around. Do I love my vacuum cleaner? No, but it’s useful and I do love that.
- Relax and enjoy a little more lightness of being.
