Less is More: Belongings

As we enter into the third month of the year with my focus on home, I have noticed my trend toward less.  It naturally began with less 'stuff.'  Again, I went through the Konmari method and began critically evaluating my belongings piece by piece to see what was useful or brought me joy.  I have done this with clothes, books and paper before but it never fails to surprise me how much excess I really have.  The mental, emotional and physical space this frees up is incredible.  I liken it to stepping outside of a stuffy house and inhaling lungfuls of fresh air.  My senses become alive, my heart rate slows down and I breathe easier.  Spaciousness is something I have noticed really affects me, especially over the past few years, so limiting the amount of items I own has freed me in so many ways.  The less energy I invest in my things (purchasing them, cleaning them, storing them), the more energy I have for my people.  

Belongings

To further the movement toward minimalism, Marc and I have spent time discussing our purchasing patterns.  Do we need what we are thinking of purchasing?  Do we have something already in our house that serves the same purpose?  (Embarassingly, sometimes we already have what I was going to buy, but it was just stored somewhere I wasn't aware of.)  If we need to buy an item, how can we minimize the impact our purchase will have on the earth?  How can we live more sustainably?  

We are starting small - bringing our own reusable straws with us, continuing to use cloth napkins, sewing patches over the holes our boys inevitably put in every pant leg, drying my clothes on a rack instead of in the dryer, buying second-hand when possible...the list goes on.  As I continue the year of 'home', definitely less is becoming more.