Daily writing prompt

Do you believe in minimalism?

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I have this idea in my head of what minimalism looks like…and I’m not 100% certain but I think if I believed in minimalism I would have a lot less stuff.

If I believed in minimalism, would I have so many books? Would I have a counter full of oranges and a container of cookies and a big Kitchenaid mixer? And a teapot with a little matcha set next to it (which, I’m pretty sure we haven’t used since we moved here over 6 months ago?)

I don’t think there are necessarily rules about what you can or can’t have as a minimalist. I do like the way it is described on this website: theminiminalists.com

It’s described as a tool. A tool to freedom.

I don’t know about y’all but I love the idea of freedom. 🙂

I go on purges every now and then, getting rid of lots of “stuff.” I’ve done that for as long as I can remember, starting in college when I spent a summer living in a room about as big as a closet.

It’s way to easy to accumulate. When I downsized, selling our house that my kids pretty much grew up in, I couldn’t believe the amount of toys, clothes, tools, and random things I had to re-home or get rid of.

I had yard sales, put stuff on the curb for free, brought things to the thrift store. We got a dumpster- twice- and continued to purge years’ worth of homeschool projects, home projects, and more. My least favorite thing that we had to get rid of was a giant antenna that my ex had somehow gotten all the way up into our attic. I think, no joke, that it was 15 feet long. I don’t know what in the world someone would even do with an antenna like that. Maybe get into ham radio?

I debated lowering the antenna out of the attic window. Our attic was huge, with big windows on either side. Luckily, I was able to somehow get it down the attic stairs, through the bedroom, down another flight of stairs, and out of our house. It took contortioning of the antenna and a lot of sweat and persistence. But I did it.

I got it out of the house and stared at it for a minute. The sheer absurdity of this dinosaur of an antenna that had spent years in our house, tucked against a wall, collecting dust. I sure did feel a lot freer when that thing was out of the house. Maybe those minimalists are onto something.