It might have to do with my already overcrowded mind, but when I walk in to a room that looks like this, I feel way more at ease than if I walked into a room like this. Don’t get me wrong, there is beauty to be found in most every space, but the maximalist way is just not for me personally. I think the only exceptions I would make are for books, and maybe a scattered plant.
I didn’t always feel this way. If I had not lost all of the photos from my teenage/20s when my iMac died, I would have plenty of pics I could show you of how my living spaces used to look – and man were they crowded. I blame this on the fact that I am an only child, and whether I wanted it or not (most times not) I was given so much stuff.
The way that I view my space is much different now, and I think there’s a number of reasons for that:
The first being that I am finally in a place in life where I make a good living wage, so now I buy quality vs. quantity. I am incredibly grateful to have arrived here.
Next, with the exception of the never ending dog hair that I can not seem to get a handle on, I prefer things to be very clean and tidy. I get a great deal of joy out of organizing my spaces.
I’ve also learned, the more crap you have, the more crap you have to move with you when you go somewhere else. I’ve moved so many times since I left home permanently at 20 years old. There’s only a handful of items I can say that I’ve taken with me everywhere I have gone, and those things either have great sentimental value, or are at such a quality that it does not make sense to get a newer version of said object.
I’ve also accepted that change is good. Every time I get a new article of clothing, I purge my closet and donate or re-sell items that I haven’t reached for in a long time. That doesn’t actually apply to just clothes, either. There’s a well run Facebook auction page where I live that hosts weekly online auctions that you can reserve an album space in. Every other week I make a small album and re-sell objects from my home that no longer serve any purpose for me. With those funds, I either put the profit toward my long-term debt, or get a needed quality object that I would have not otherwise reserved money to buy.
Minimalism just feels better for my brain. I am such an over-thinker. There have been times where I’ve been lying in bed and I’ve planned out what I needed to clean and organize, or I’d see a book not aligned the way I like on the shelf and have to get out of bed and fix it or it would drive me nuts (I am not open for diagnosis).
Anyway, that’s all the thoughts that I have this evening. If I could leave you with one additional thing it would be to read the book Hygge by Meik Wiking. While it may not be about minimalism, it is very much about placing value on the things that are most important to you: your time, love, and just feeling cozy within your home life.
M.
Colour of Outdoors by Mandy Ford 
