I came across this article. It totally defines where I feel I am right now.
So how minimalistic are you?
Lynn
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5 comments to Stuff |
I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome. I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop. For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool.    
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
I would
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for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
I am so totally right there with you, Lynn. Matter of fact, our family is on a mission to reduce and simplify even more than ever this year.
I love, love your blog, Lynn, and for some reason I didn’t have it on my blog list. :/ It is fixed and holds a prominent spot where I can check in daily!
Much love to you and yours~
Dear Lynn,
What a great article! I think there must be a minimalist movement going, along with homesteading, homeschooling, etc. We are finally getting back to what is really important in life!
Now, how do we convince the grandparents and other well-meaning people that our children are perfectly content without all the “stuff”?
Love,
Marqueta
Missy, thank you! I am always coming across blogs that I like and saying, “What? That wasn’t in my blog list?”
Yes, we are trying to simplify here. It’s not easy. I am so thankful to live in a free country and to have plenty and to be able to buy what I need without overwhelming effort. It’s not the circumstances I am fed up with, it’s my own choices. I think you said it perfectly — reduce and simplify.
Marqueta, I think so too. And as I mentioned above, I am glad for plenty and yet worried about my own choices. I do see the minimalist movement all around me. As far as convincing others, I’m not sure.
Lynn
Lynn,
I wholeheartedly agree. I have a pretty simplistic amount of “stuff”. I know I always have what I need – but I try to avoid the “wants”. I regularly pop up into the attic to take stock of what’s there. Unless it has some sentimental value from my kids – I generally donate it. I have a very small house and I don’t like clutter. I certainly want my home to feel lived in and not sparse. Until about a year ago I had very few clothes – mostly just jeans and t-shirts. But when I went back to work – I had to build up my professsional wardrobe (there is a dress code that I have to follow) and so I try to visit the thrift store first, and then after that, it’s the clearance rack. I used to have a lot of “stuff” living in my kitchen cupboards and things that were passed down from great-grandmother but I knew I would not use them or display them like I wanted to, so I shipped about 5 boxes to my sis Robin a few years ago. when I visited her last Oct., it was nice to see those things lovingly displayed in her home.
It is a challenge – I think we need to just focus on our own needs, even when the world around us encroaches and tries to tell us what we need.
Great post,
Liane
Hi Lynn,
We’re back home after traveling to visit children for the holidays and I stopped in to visit your blog. This whole topic of stuff can truly be exhausting! Last June we put our home up for sale. My husband had retired and we hope to make a move to Savannah this year. It sold in 5 days! Anyway, we were going from a home that had 1700 square feet of living space and a finished basement of equal size(not to mention a 2 and 1/2 car garage and a shed out back!) to a 5 room apartment, 1 car garage and no storage space! I was forced (as Hubby would have let go of all our stuff)to decide what we would take and what we would keep. It was a dunting task and I had only 4 weeks to accomplish this undertaking. I sorted and sorted and we gave some to charity and had an auction, as we placed boxes of “oh so precious stuff” on those trucks I could not remember what was in most of them. It was a real awakening. I love to craft, decorate, and collect but I am doing it today with a very discriminating eye. If I am tempted to purchase something I ask myself, How will we use it? Will it really enhance life in our home? And most importantly, could someone else benefit more by having that item? It has been so much easier to walk away from things that may only be a temporary joy and become the next item to find it’s way back to a local thrift shop. So, take heart and enjoy your freedom from the bondage of stuff! My words for the New Year are “Lighten up.”
Thanks for sharing…
Happy New Year to you and yours,
Diane