Less is More
It always gets worse before it gets better. I have been working to reorganize my kitchen cabinets for what seems like ALL day, and I'm still not done yet. What I have finished, looks nice, but...the rest of the kitchen looks like a bomb went off. I am purging as I go, getting rid of dishes and gadgets we don't need and tossing out old, outdated, food. It will be nice when it's all done. Then I can move onto another area of the house that needs work. Hoping to keep this up so by springtime I won't have much left to do.
Simplicity is something I long for. Which is one reason I am wanting to downsize and get this place organized. Lately, I have become really intrigued by the 'Tiny House Movement' and have been inspired to have less. I also love the Amish' simple lifestyle and over the years, I've read a number of good books on paring down. All of these and the very real fact that I live in a very small (though not quite "Tiny") house, has planted the desire in me for living with less. I remember one book put it this way--you can either have stuff or space. I think of piles of clutter sitting around and compare it with the feeling I have when things are tidy and there's very little clutter in a room and I just feel happier. For me, the only way to become more organized will be by having less to deal with. And what I keep, I have to love or really need. Some of the most peaceful times I remember are the times we've spent camping. You have your certain camp chores, very little dishes and very little work in the way of housekeeping. I remember the sense of freedom I'd get from camping-just knowing there wasn't a whole house that needed attention-really lifted a burden.
Here is one of my favorite videos about living small. I like this because it makes it seem that anyone could do this. Some of the apartments that are shown on these types of videos have expensive built-ins and specialized furniture, made-to-fit the space. But for the average Johanna, we can't glean much from those types of examples. I particularly liked her sofa/bed. Her small apartment still seems like a normal-sized living space.
My goal is not to be sparse, but to surround myself with things I love, in an organized way, and let the rest go.
Simplicity is something I long for. Which is one reason I am wanting to downsize and get this place organized. Lately, I have become really intrigued by the 'Tiny House Movement' and have been inspired to have less. I also love the Amish' simple lifestyle and over the years, I've read a number of good books on paring down. All of these and the very real fact that I live in a very small (though not quite "Tiny") house, has planted the desire in me for living with less. I remember one book put it this way--you can either have stuff or space. I think of piles of clutter sitting around and compare it with the feeling I have when things are tidy and there's very little clutter in a room and I just feel happier. For me, the only way to become more organized will be by having less to deal with. And what I keep, I have to love or really need. Some of the most peaceful times I remember are the times we've spent camping. You have your certain camp chores, very little dishes and very little work in the way of housekeeping. I remember the sense of freedom I'd get from camping-just knowing there wasn't a whole house that needed attention-really lifted a burden.
Here is one of my favorite videos about living small. I like this because it makes it seem that anyone could do this. Some of the apartments that are shown on these types of videos have expensive built-ins and specialized furniture, made-to-fit the space. But for the average Johanna, we can't glean much from those types of examples. I particularly liked her sofa/bed. Her small apartment still seems like a normal-sized living space.
My goal is not to be sparse, but to surround myself with things I love, in an organized way, and let the rest go.
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