Minimalism

I have been embracing minimalism. My beloved husband has not. I’m going through closets and cupboards to get rid of things in a gradual and steady fashion. Hubster? Not so much. Am I upset by this? Not really. I’ve got a huge stash of collected crap to deal with. My husband could not make the decisions for me as to what I keep and what I toss.

Oddly enough, the expensively framed, hundreds of hours of work embroideries are not very high on my ‘keep’ lists. I’m a process person, not a product person. The work was the valuable part. The finished product has minimal value for me. I am thinking about taking a lot of works out of their frames and turning the collection into a quilt. I’d get some practical use out of them.

What am I discovering on this minimalist journey? That I am an excellent steward. I take good care of the things I own, even if I no longer want or use them. This care has, for all intents and purposes, been wasted effort. I am getting rid of things in excellent condition. When I no longer have to worry about dusting, storing, protecting, and tracking them, I feel a mental lightness. There have been brain cells freed up to be used for other thoughts and memories. I don’t want to spend this mental resource on making or gathering more things to stash.

I looked closely at my ‘to make’ list and realized that there were many gift items for family, but limited things for myself. I can relate to this in a very different way since my adoption of a minimalist outlook. I can enjoy the process and then make a gift of the product. I won’t have to store, dust, protect, or keep track of them!