I'm not sure what underlying drive fuels my desire to purge stuff. Psychologically it would probably be about trying to control what I can while Rob is going through his health dealio. Maybe. Or maybe I'm feeling guilty about starving children. Or am trying to recreate who I have become.
If you walked into my house your first thoughts would not be "Man, this chick/hen is a minimalist!" Not at all. I'm not even close. I don't even know if that is my goal. I listen to podcasts occasionally by these guys. (While I'm cooking, usually, nice to have friendly voices in the kitchen with me. And I usually get caught up on two or three episodes. Beats bingeing on Netflix...
: ) )The one I listened to the other day contained comments regarding feedback they get on their name, The Minimalists, and how some people are critical of that label. Like they aren't minimalist enough. They mentioned one guy they follow on social media and how he's got 55 possessions. The point they made was that he was living this extremely spartan life because his heart's desire is to pick up and move internationally every four months or so and 55 items works well for him.
Another minimal mindset guy I follow is Becoming Minimalist. He had a really simple, thought provoking article the other day.
Tying these two thoughts together I think I'm just done with being encumbered with stuff. I've gone on about the joy of some drawers being empty and all the rest opening and closing with ease. I spent a few hours this week purging my book shelves again. And every time I do it I think I can't possibly find more books to get rid of and every time I do it I find dozens. This time I was motivated by my grands. I had a sick one the day before yesterday and I suggested she read some books. She found a few, but honestly the kids books were a mess, laid on their sides, picture books mixed in with chapter books, and not really at eye level for them. Cleaning it up seriously took about five hours. Making piles, sorting, bagging up ones no one wanted, dusting the shelves and putting everything back in a kid friendly, organized space. That thrills me. Because I honestly don't want a bunch of books sitting around that my kiddos won't read because it's too complicated to find them. I want my stuff to be used, not stored. And I'm loving wide open spaces between objects.
I haven't been keeping count this year since I whomped my 1000 things last year goal in three short months. I don't want it to be about getting rid of a set number. More like allowing my possessions go that are not adding value to my life because chances are someone out there needs what is gathering dust on my shelves.
