A CHOICE: Minimalism

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I have been an extreme pack rat all of my life. Seriously, I never wanted to get rid of anything. It was such a struggle, because my family moved around quite a bit, and every time they would de-clutter before packing up. My mom and sisters would try to help me clean out my closet/room, and they essentially had to force me to get rid of things-- or secretly clean out my room when I wasn't there. I hated to get rid of anything, but I also hated the constant demand that all these "things" put on my life and my time. The more things I had, the more I needed to clean, organize, and maintain my things--although I didn't always do it! I couldn't understand why I didn't get that gene that caused me to keep everything spot-less without a single thought (something my sisters luckily inherited from my mom).

This Christmas we were carefree, with our very few possessions.

This struggle went on, and when Aaron and I got married we--as many couples do--brought all our belongings into our home together. We had both lived on our own so we honestly had nearly enough to fill two small homes. I had the greatest intentions of keeping a beautiful home like my parent's, and that Aaron and I would make our little chore list and get the tasks completed in a timely manner together, and birds would sing and the smell of fresh flowers would fill the air... Unfortunately, I had married a pack rat like myself who also did not inherit cleaning/organizational skills. Quickly our house turned into a disaster, and I could hardly stand to be there! Although I wasn't the best at cleaning in the past, I would still get help from my mom or sisters to keep my space semi-clean. 

*I have found that I am someone who needs a clean/clear space; it's for my sanity*

After a few months of fighting to keep our home clean and organized we realized we had entirely too much stuff. Too many clothes and shoes, too many games and movies, too many odds and ends. Too much of everything! We were so stressed all the time, feeling the pressure of an ever-dirty house, the tension of dividing chores after the long demanding work hours we each had, and the overwhelming need for quality time after nearly all our days were spend working at the job or at home. We realized the source of most our stress and frustration came from an untidy house, and we were tired of it. 

Fortunately the solution was close at hand. During the peak of the 'untidy home struggle', an opportunity opened up for us to move. Before we got married we knew we wanted to relocate in the near future, so we were quick to jump. The only catch was that we had to transition within the month! We had already decided we owned WAY too much, and we knew we couldn't continue to live like that in our new home and lifestyle, but it was all happening so quickly! We did our best to get rid of as much as we could, and were actually able to trash/donate several giant bags and boxes of things. The rest of our belongings had to go to storage because due to the quick nature of this move we had to find temporary arrangements until we got settled. This left us with a couple of suitcases packed in our trunks for the next few weeks--or so we thought.

It has now been over 4 months, and with the exception of only a couple small trips back to storage (mainly for our bed and some winter clothes), we essentially have what we came with--a couple of suitcases and our cars. Let me tell you... it has been enlightening.

We have felt so free these last months, and it has made us realize that less truly is more. We have more time, more freedom, more clarity, more inspiration, more love, more adventures, more hope! During this time we have discovered minimalism through some people we watch on YouTube, and without intentionally doing it, we have begun to live a more minimal life. 

We know now that this is something we want to pursue actively, and a skill we want to develop. We are choosing minimalism. We know this will be a journey, but we are excited to follow it as far as we can. Yesterday we brought some things back from storage with us, and we are going to be sorting through it all a determining what we should keep, and what we should let go. Stay tuned for a post on that, and of course check out my YouTube channel for videos of our journey!

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