The day is finally here!!!
My year of tying up loose end is starting!
I am exited... and a little scared to be honest!
I know I have a lot of work to do on myself. Yet again.
I know it will be challenging. Especially until summer.
I know I will want to give up. I know.
I will share all of this with you here!
100% honest. 100% of the time.
My last few days of declutter
Over the last few days, I have done some decluttering and inventory of my personal belongings.
By this, I mean what belongs only to me not to my household... not furniture or kitchen stuff... not appliances. I have listed what I would absolutely want to bring with my if I had to go. Quick.
What would I pack and be willing to carry?
Knowing the rest I would never see again...
I was surprise to see how little I actually care about.
It was also very eye opening.
Having been a "minimalist" for a while now, I could see that it had given me the expected results in many areas of my life but there was a few more personal areas that are still, by my standard, way to cluttered!!!
What I have got rid off
Some clothes (20 items total)
Some fabrics
Pens and pencils, coloring books
Instructions books on needle work, doodling and other creative related stuff
All this actually ended up being two garbage bags.
Let's start with what I am happy with
Although I will not share here, right now anyway, all the content of my home, I can say that the overall look of my minimalist home is quite satisfying. I have very little furniture and I use all of it on a regular basis if not daily... maybe for the exception of my rocking chair and another "comfy" chair we got at a yard sale for 7$. Writing this makes me realize that I should use this chair a lot more... the rocking chair, I am mostly keeping for my son when he has kids.
I am also quite happy with the fact that I currently own 15 books:
- six regarding National Park in Canada and USA, guides for trees, birds and plants.
- two related to meditation and yoga
- five regarding self development
- two which are on the "let's see if they stay" list
I also own five Cds, four of meditation music and one of Leonard Cohen, and one DVD of Louis-Jose Houde a comedian I like.
As for decorative stuff, the only things I really absolutely do not want to part with are:
- one 2ft high Buddha statue my son gave me years ago
- one tiny Buddha statue that comes from quite far away and given to me by a woman that had a huge impact in my life
- one singing bowl
- a set of eight fairy my son gave me
- my favorite mug and maybe another smaller mug from Paris
I also own a few notebooks, one with my favorite quotes, one is my journal and two are notes taken from my reads (seeing almost all the books I read are from the library) and a last one which is used as a planner for my two year long road trip.
This, I would say is quite reasonable as personal belongings I care and would like to take with me.
Now let's jump onto more problematic areas
1) Creative stuff.
I own knitting needles, yarn, sewing material and a few beads/pearls with thread. This is what I have been using regularly.
I also on embroidery equipment which I hope to use soon. If I haven't by the end of winter, I 'll have to revisit keeping it. I have already owned it for quite a few months.
A you saw up there, I got rid of quite a lot of other "creative" stuff... all the stuff relating to "projects" I had. See, the thing is I have a bunch of ideas! Things I want to do... or things I wish I'd want to do... or most likely things the "good enough" version of me would do! However, this is all according to an "ideal" me! It has nothing to do with the person I am or I want to be but rather with the person I think people expect me to be. Yes, I am creative... yes I know how to sew and draw, paint and create some collage and do many different things... but do I really want to do all those things???
To be honest, not really... It's not because at one point in my life I learned to do them that I still care for it. I am happy I know how to do it... it is useful to be able to sew back on a button or hem a pair of pants or a skirt... but even though I have previously made clothes from scratch, it is not something I am really interested in. I'd rather buy my clothes and add a personal touch to it...
What I really like to do in my spare time is, in no specific order: yoga, meditation, walking, reading, writing, knitting (simple stuff) and to lose myself into bird/tree/sky observation. THIS is who I am.
I have to let go of what I think is expected of me...
2) Clothes
Well, this will come as no surprise! This is my MAIN area of concern. I have started identifying my triggers and looking into the root of the problem... as for any addiction, it is not that simple. There will most likely be a lot of writing over the year about this issue in particular along with how I am working on it and healing.
For now, in the spirit of 100% honesty, 100% of the time, here's a list of all that can be find in my current wardrobe after the 20 items were let go off.
1 all season dress
1 velvet tunic/dress
5 pairs of jeans
1 pair of wide legged corduroy pants
1 corduroy skirt
1 mini jean skirt
2 pairs summer pants
1 pair capri pants
3 pairs of shorts
5 flannel shirts
10 long sleeve tops
10 short sleeve tops
6 sleeveless tops
3 knitted warm sweaters
4 warm cardigans
1 light weight cardigan
2 ponchos
2 fleece cardigans (for outdoor and camping mostly)
1 rain jacket
1 spring/fall jacket
1 winter jacket - and one winter pants
18 accessories (scarves, mittens, hats - mostly all kind of scarves!)
8 pairs of footwear (including all seasons and all activities)
plus a few jewelry, lounge wear and underwear/tights/socks...
Clearly, this is WAY to many... But this is why I am doing a year long shopping ban!!! I obviously do not need more clothes! If anything, I need less!!! How can I fit all of this is a camper van in a few years down the road???
And why did I get into that position AGAIN???
How can I not, knowing all that I know, opt out of the endless buy-wear/or not-give cycle???
There clearly is a more deeply rooted problem..
Let's figure it out!
What do you think? Care to share your opinion? Are you doing some kind of a shopping ban? Could we support each other?
Chloe
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