Five Years

Something wonderful happened five years ago. Ian and I made a choice that I'd always dreamed of but honestly never thought would happen. Because of this decision, our lives have changed in so many wonderful and meaningful ways.

Five years ago, Ian and I downsized our possessions and moved to the city. When we were planning to move, we had no idea that this one change would fix a lot of what was wrong and unfulfilling in our lives and how happy we would become very soon.

Five years ago, my life looked like this:

- Ian and I lived in a pretty big (for two people) house in the suburbs.
- We had a lot of stuff!
- I commuted up to two hours a day, driving to and from work.
- I was a vegetarian but still ate dairy/eggs. And I always ate too much of everything.
- I didn't exercise.
- I spent thousands of dollars a year buying quilting fabric and yarn, but never really finished anything.
- We never went out just the two of us or spent any time with friends because we didn't feel like driving to other suburbs or back to the city.
- Ian and I were both really depressed and fighting a lot.

It was during an especially low point that we found out that the house we were renting was soon to be sold. We had the option to buy it or to buy another house in another suburb. We could have chosen to continue living like we had been...and this would have been a choice to remain unhappy.

Instead, we chose to pursue our dream of living in the city, of living a more sustainable, healthy lifestyle. And even though it was scary and new and full of "what if's", we did it anyway.

Today, life looks like this:

- Ian and I live in a cute apartment on a quiet street in the city.
- We have just the right amount of stuff...and sometimes still can scrounge up things to send to the Goodwill.
- I walk or bike to work every day. My total commuting time on a walking day is 80 minutes and I read my kindle the whole way to work and back. On a biking day, total commuting time is 30 minutes, 40 if it's really hot out and I'm biking super slowly.
- I still don't "exercise" but I'm moving around so much more. Walking around the neighborhood to run errands and commuting to work all add to a healthier lifestyle.
- I still buy quilting fabric and yarn but not nearly as much and now it's for a specific project that I work on right away. In 5 years, I've finished over 50 quilts and given almost all of them away to friends and family.
- I'm now mostly vegan and working on cutting out the very last few dairy items from my diet (homemade pizzas remain a challenge). I'm also working on portion control with the help of Weight Watchers (finally admitting I needed outside help was a game changer for me and I'm not embarrassed).
- Ian and I spend more time with each other and our friends than ever. It's so fun to walk to a restaurant down the street and not have to drive home. And since we're more centrally located, we feel comfortable inviting people over to our house for gatherings.
- Ian and I are a thousand times happier and any depression is now just mildly seasonal (his in the winter, mine in the summer) or related to busy times at work.


I've been thinking a lot lately about what this little blog means to me and what it could mean for others. There will be more on this another day but for now, I want to express one very important lesson, one I have learned from experience:

If you are unhappy with your life, change it. It might seem overwhelming, you might think it's impossible. But I know it's not. You can change most things. It might be hard, it probably will be hard. But it will also be possible. It might take a long time. You might have to change things in phases. But you can do it.

Maybe you feel like you absolutely don't have the ability to change your circumstances, and maybe you're right. There are, after all, things that we cannot change no matter how hard we wish we could. But in those instances, I still challenge you to think about what you CAN change to make your life better. There is always something, no matter how small.

Accomplishments and Failures

Good afternoon to you all. It's been a very long time since I posted here. And that's okay with me. I just like to know that this blog is here, for when I'm feeling weak, when I need a reminder of what's important to me.

And today is one of those days. I have some accomplishments and some failures that I want to talk about and to get off my chest.

First, the accomplishments!

-Ian and I have finally moved to the city. We moved in August, actually, and have been living the city life for eight happy months. No, I did not fit all my stuff in one car-load but Ian and I donated two minivans-full of stuff before our move. And we donated another car-load after our move. And we just donated more things last weekend. Figuring out what we really need to be happy is a work in progress. We're just as happy (if not happier in a lot of ways) living in our small-ish apartment than we were in our two story house with full basement and garage.



-We moved to an apartment just under 2 miles from my work, which was a goal I set for myself over 3 years ago. We also live half a mile from an awesome co-op grocery store. Ian and I walk there for small grocery runs and plan to shop there more often now that the snow has melted. And for better or for worse, we also live half a mile from an old timey ice cream parlor that has the best cookies and cream ice cream I've ever tasted!



-I walk to work and back every day (with very few exceptions). I have since August. I walked through the worst heat-wave I can remember. I walked through rain and wind. I walked almost every day through the coldest Minnesota winter in 20 years. If it was warmer than -40 degree wind-chill, I walked. I bought boots, I dressed in layers, I figured out how to stay warm. It was an amazing challenge for this indoor-loving girl. But I did it and I am very proud of myself. I have a goal to walk 1,000 miles in 2014 which includes walks to work, restaurants, shopping, meetings and walks just for fun. I'm up to 162 miles so far...I have a lot to go!



Change can be a truly wonderful gift, as I've experienced firsthand. It can also be so wonderful and exciting that it's easy to lose focus on other important aspects of life. It's taken me a while to notice but I have let some things slide.

-I've been spending a lot of money. I don't exactly know where it's going but I know it's too much. I want to save for my future, for trips to far-away lands, for expensive and nutritious food at the co-op down the street. I'm keeping track of everything I spend and re-focusing on the necessities. I'm working to find some balance.

-I have a new hobby and with that comes lots of new supplies to buy and store. This is where lots of my money is going. It's fun to buy things and make things but I now have more yarn than I will ever be able to use in my entire lifetime. And that makes me sad. And yet I still want to buy more yarn. Just to have it for someday, just in case, just because it's pretty. But this too must stop. I have enough. The yarn can live at the store until I need it. And I won't need it for many, many years.

-I eat way, way too much. Walking every day has increased my appetite but that's not the whole truth. The truth is that I have no interest in controlling my portions when we're eating delicious food. And Ian and I make some really delicious meals! I want to be someone who eats for nutrition and pleasure. I think both are important. But moderation is also important.

-I used to be vegan. And then I was mostly vegan. And now I eat cheese and sometimes (although rarely) eggs which, if I'm being honest with myself, makes me just a plain old vegetarian. And that bothers me. I am making bad choices. I'm allowing my love of all things cheesy to be my excuse for harming animals. And dairy and egg farming does harm animals. And harm is really just a polite word for torture. I've seen things that can be described no other way. I do not want to be the kind of person who ignores suffering in exchange for pleasure. Nothing in the world is that delicious. And even still, I know I will have to remind myself every day. It will be hard but I will try and I will be better.

Now that I have put my feelings and failures into words, I see that there are obvious paths towards change. I must simply start walking. And we all know that I CAN do that...so I'm off to a good start.

I, Robot

I'm not a great house cleaner. I have a habit of setting stuff where it doesn't belong. Every table has stuff on it, the floor has stuff on it. Stuff piles up because 1) I have too much of it and 2) I hardly ever notice it.

I mean it...even if I put something in my path so I'll remember to take it to the correct room, I just walk over that thing for about a week. I don't notice it, I don't see it. And if I don't notice it for a week, I probably don't actually need it.

Discovering Minimalism allowed me to really see my stuff for the first time. And what I saw was scary! It's taken me almost a year to force myself into the habit of really seeing my possessions. It was hard at first, and it's hard still. It's not something that comes naturally but through lots of practice, it's slowly becoming a habit.

I mentioned cleaning at the start of this post. I'm a terrible cleaner. It's hard to dust when your tables are cluttered by junk. It's hard to vacuum when there are tiny piles of stuff on the floor. And while I'm getting better, I'm still not perfect.

The reason I'm writing this today is to tell you about one thing that's helped me to be a better cleaner, both of stuff and of dust/cat hair. We got a Roomba! Before you think it's not very minimalist of me, just know that 1)vacuums are a necessity when you have three cats and 2)the Roomba takes up a fraction of the space our old vacuum cleaner required. We bought an older model and it works like a dream.

Both Ian and I had forgotten about Roombas until we saw this on our favorite show, Parks & Rec:



We opted to skip the DJ attachment, though.

Anyway, since we don't want the Roomba to get caught on anything, we have to pick up the floor before setting it to run. Consequently, we now try to keep as little on the floor as possible. And while it's vacuuming, we can be doing just about any other thing we want...things that are more important than vacuuming.

Lately, I've been using Roomba time to take a good look around the house and really see my stuff. I've gotten rid of quite a few unnecessary things and have managed to keep our tables and surfaces mostly clutter-free. By the time Roomba is done cleaning, I've managed to pick up pretty much the entire living room and kitchen.

So, to sum it all up:
1) Having fewer possessions makes it easier to keep your house clean and tidy.
2) You can change a bad habit...it will probably be hard but you can do it if you actually want to.
3) Roombas are cool and do the work so you don't have to.
4) DJ-Roomba is flippin' sweet!

More Tiny Houses

So, remember when I said I was going to talk about small houses for a while? Well, while doing research, I found a couple of blogs that are so much better than anything I could (or would) write. So, if you're at all interested in super cool small houses, check out these blogs. Some people are really thinking outside the box which I think is so amazing!

Design Boom
LittleDiggs
Small Space Living
Tiny House Blog

I've finally figured out what sort of tiny place I want. I was talking to Ian today and he reminded me about "artist's lofts". I love the idea of work space that you can live in.

Rather than several small rooms (like my current house), I'd love one large room that could serve many purposes. The lack of "dedicated" space would allow for flexibility in the layout of furniture and would allow me more space for a particular project, if needed.

In addition to the open work space, I'd like a super tiny kitchen that closes in behind sliding doors. I want a Murphy bed because they're so cool. Oh, and a tiny bathroom would be nice...the smaller, the better.

And I know it's not very "minimalist" to want a vintage diner-style booth but I've always wanted one. It could be used as an eating space but I'd mostly use it as a desk. While I love the idea of wide open spaces for working, I prefer a tiny "nest" for creating and nurturing ideas.

And that's it. No space for "someday", no space for entertaining guests or hosting parties. No dining room, no living room, no home office or library or master bedroom. Just space to create and to sleep. I think it sounds refreshing!

What about you? Would you prefer a smaller traditional-style house or something "outside the box"? What spaces/rooms are the most important to you? What spaces/rooms would you leave behind? Does your current house fit your priorities? Does it help you reach your goals?

Tumbleweed Houses

A few months ago, before I discovered minimalism, I was searching for ways to decorate my sort-of tiny house. You know, back when I thought new curtains would make me feel better about my rooms full of junk?

I found Tumbleweed Houses instead. These houses are absolutely amazing. They're truly tiny (ranging from 65(!) to 874 square feet) and, depending on the model, can be mobile.

I was so excited about the idea that I ran to my work-friend's cubicle and said "Look! You could live in a house that's only 200 square feet!" And he said "But why would you want to?"

Um, hello...why wouldn't you want to? Perhaps it's just my personality but a cozy little cottage feels much nicer than a huge McMansion. Perhaps it's my passion for challenges but designing an efficient house sounds more exciting than designing a house with unlimited space. And perhaps it's just my love of extremes but owning fewer posessions sounds more peaceful than owning the newest and best of everything.

I'll feature lots of other cool tiny houses in the coming weeks but I think these Tumbleweed houses are a great place to start. They're very "traditional" in style which, to me, is quite appealing. I enjoy modern style but if I had to choose, I'd prefer an old-fashioned cozy cottage.

My challenge for you today is to imagine living in one of the tumbleweed houses. Which house would you choose and why? Do you think you could actually pare down your belongings to fit in a tiny house? Would you want to? If you have hobbies, would you have the space to continue doing the things you love? Do you think this whole idea is crazy, awesome or something in between?

I'll go first: if I wanted a portable house, I'd choose The Fencl. It comes in at 130 sqft and has the cutest built-in bookshelves. If I removed all the furniture, the main room would be large enough to baste quilts on the floor. Since I spend most of my time eating, sleeping and sewing, this is all the space I'd really need.

If I went the stationary route, I'd definitely choose The Loring. It's 261 square feet and I'd put my bed in the little gable in the loft. The rest of the loft would be my studio, perhaps? Maybe the studio would go downstairs in the main room. I can't decide.

While I love the idea of a super small house, Ian does not. I think the 461 sqft Whidbey would make for a nice compromise. The front room would be perfect for a sewing studio because of all the windows and large closet. The loft could be the bedroom and Ian's office. The "great room" is big enough for his CD and book collection as well as a couch and tv.

Now it's your turn...I want to hear all about your dream tiny house.

It's all Relative

I'm currently living in a house in the suburbs, 12 miles from the city and my work. I don't own it and I'm not sure how much longer I'll stay. Two years ago I though it was what I wanted but the Crystal of today has changed significantly. Now I dream of a tiny apartment in the city, close to my work, the soon-to-be-built light-rail line and my favorite pizza place. With a Murphy Bed. And this guy's entire setup, actually.

But that's not really what I want to talk about today.

The house Ian and I live in is 1,250 square feet. It has three bedrooms (two of which are only 100 sqft) and 1.5 baths (both super tiny). The house is too big for us but we've managed to fill it up to the max. Not cool.

Our neighbors live in exactly the same house (they're all the same on our block) but they have...wait for it...8 people living there. Two adults, 6 kids, all in 1,250 square feet.

Ian and I each live comfortably in 625 square feet. The neighbors do it in 156.

I'm actually ashamed to have my neighbors over. It feels wrong to waste so much space on only two people. And when I go on to think about the sizes of houses people are buying (or bought but now can't afford), I feel a little sick.

Houses themselves are wasteful compared to apartment buildings but that's not all. Most new (and new-ish) houses are designed to include wasted space, on purpose! I went to school for architectural design and I can't understand why crap like that gets built. Vaulted ceilings, spaces "open to below", master bathrooms, huge bedrooms. And what about houses with living rooms and family rooms and sitting rooms and tv rooms...that's four rooms that do the same thing and you can only be in one at a time.

I understand the need for a pleasing design...but to me, efficient designs are not incompatible with pleasant. People have been talked into buying houses that are mostly filler, mostly space they'll never use. Because that's what people are "supposed" to do, that's what they're "supposed" to want. And that makes me sad and a little angry.

In the coming weeks, I'd like to take some time to focus on smaller, more efficient places to live. I hope you're as excited about this as I am. To start things off, seriously check out the link above. That guy is a genius!

Transformers

You have got to be kidding me. I've never seen such fantastic furniture for a small home. Check out this transforming furniture and be amazed!

-(found via Unclutterer)

I'm in serious love with those wall beds. I want a small apartment just so I can get one. Probably the one with the desk...because you don't even have to clean off the desk. Brilliant!

One is Enough

When Ian and I moved in together, we had doubles of most things. Over the past two months, we've given away (or eaten up) most of the doubles. That alone was a big step and cleared out lots of space. Then I started thinking about other things that were duplicated like dishes and clothes.

We went from an overflowing shelf of glasses to a not-quite-so-packed shelf of glasses. We gave away plates we hated. We got rid of the fancy drink glasses and just kept the wine glasses.

While that was a huge step (I come from a family that never gets rid of anything) I'm still feeling overwhelmed by all the dishes.

Before Ian moved in, I used to live with only one set of dishes (plate, glass, fork, spoon, etc) and really loved it. Washing one plate every night felt better than watching 12 pile up in the sink. Spending 3 minutes a night washing dishes wasn't nearly as painful as spending an hour washing a week's worth of dishes.

I asked Ian if we could try living with two of everything, just to see how we like it. He hates doing dishes as much as I do so we're never going to be the "wash your dishes right away" sort of people. At least now when every dish is dirty, it'll only take us 5 minutes to wash them all up.

We're not actually giving the rest away at this point (we do sometimes have my family over for dinner), but this exercise will help us learn just how many things we actually need. Hopefully we'll have another box to send to the goodwill soon.

Just the other day, Courtney Carver challenged us to explore the idea of One is Enough. She proposed a mini mission to give it a try for ourselves. She asks us: is one pen enough? Is one jacket enough? Is one plate, one lipstick, one purse enough? Choose your favorite coffee mug and use only that mug for a week. Is it enough?

I'd love to know if you're living with only one thing or thinking about trying it for a while. What is it? How's it going?

So far, the one set of dishes thing is working great! We're still boxing up the stragglers but I look forward to a super sparse cupboard and sink very, very soon.

The Weight of Money

My grandma sent me a check the other day. She wanted to treat Ian and me to a fancy dinner. The check was for $50.

There was a time in my not too distant past when $50 was no big deal. I'm currently debt free and make enough money that I can buy pretty much whatever I want. And I did...which is why I don't have nearly as much in savings as I should and why my house is full of stuff.

The check got me thinking about what dollar amount was a big deal. When internet shopping, $75 is the point when I start to squirm and wonder if I should really be spending the money. For Ian, who has watched his spending a lot longer than I have, it is $30.

Since I've been saving and watching my purchases, I've come to learn that I should care about every dollar. Because every dollar I spend on something trivial is one dollar not going to something awesome...like living in Europe for a year or quitting my day job.

This new perspective is why I now believe $50 is a lot of money. Just look at how much (or how little) $50 can get you:

2 fancy dinners (really only one outing because Ian and I would be together on a date!)
4 lunches at my favorite Indian food buffet
8 veggie burritos at Chipotle
11 gallons of milk
45 lbs. of rice
100 lbs. of flour
250 bananas

10 fancy coffees at the coffee shop
16 regular coffees at the coffee shop
125 coffees at home (bonus: nutcracker mug!)

1 sweater at favorite store
3 sweaters on clearance at same store
10 sweaters at a thrift store

5.5 yards of my favorite quilting fabrics
7 yards if there's a sale

1/2 a day of skiing (lift ticket and ski rental) at local ski resort
1 round of golf
State Park sticker good for 2 years (sticker is good for unlimited visits to 74 Minnesota State Parks and covers as many people as you can fit in your car)

1 train ride from Milan to Venice
1 weeks worth of gas (if I drove a truck)
2 weeks worth of gas (for my small car)
22 rides on the light rail
approximately 1 month of unlimited bus riding

2 books (new releases)
10 kindle books (new releases)
50+ kindle books (classics, my favorite!)

5 tickets to movies at the theater
10 if I plan for the bargain matinee
12 movies at the drive-in (only 6 outings because they show 2 movies. bonus: watching movies outside!)
16 tickets to movies at the cheap theater
25 if it's a Tuesday

1 mediocre seat at the opera
1 ticket to a play at the Guthrie Theater
2 RUSH tickets to the same play at the Guthrie Theater
2 tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra
5 tickets to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
25 Shakespeare in the Park performances (assumes $2 tip because I'm cheap like that)

As you can see, depending on your priorities, $50 can get you just about anything you want or need. I think my favorite thing on this list is the train ride to Venice...I just need to figure out how to fund the rest of the trip and I'm out of here!

Living Without Goals

I found this article after writing today's post. Leo Babauta talks about living without goals. It's what I wish I could have written this morning...but I'm not too upset because my to-do list didn't include "write something super awesome".

Minimalist Lists

I make lots of lists. I like the simple act of writing out the list and I like to capture every minute step. I don't know why I do this. It's not like I write so many steps because I like crossing things off the list. I never cross things off the list because it makes the list look messy.

The problem with my particular brand of list making is that while writing them makes me happy, looking at them makes me feel constrained and overwhelmed. I MUST DO this stuff! It's on the list!

And then I go home and eat some junk food in an effort to forget the list. And it's usually very easy to do because some of the stuff on the list wasn't actually all that important. And ignoring it all was way easier than doing it all.

I've been trying very hard to stop making these unreasonable and frivolous lists. They're a waste of time and they don't actually keep me on track. But I do like to have some sort of to-do list to help me focus on what's important. I think I've finally hit the sweet spot. The following is my actual to do list for the weekend:

-spend time with friends
-exercise
-draw something
-sew something
-sort some junk
-remove junk from house

I've resisted the urge to set a time limit for each item or specify a particular number of things I should sort/draw/sew. Instead, I'm just going to do these things and not worry about how much of each I finish. They'll all lead me towards my goal of being an artist, minimalist and all around awesome person.

So, what's your to-do list for this weekend? Is it helping you reach your goals or just keeping you busy?

Minimalism by Theft, Part 2

And now for the things I'm keeping:



First, you should know that the green vase is my favoritest vase ever. I promise to give away all other vases I find around the house in exchange for this one. And since I'm keeping it, I need to actually use it and look at it because I love it so much. Why do I put things I love where I can't see them?

Um, exercise band...I can't remember the last time I used it so it's a good thing Ian found it. He swears he didn't put it in the box to trick me into exercising...he actually thought I'd get rid of it right away. Ha! I'm going to use it while I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The candle in the jar...well, who gets rid of perfectly good candles? My mom gave it to me and it smells nice. I promise to burn this until it's gone and then give the jar to the goodwill.

The square pillar candle has special memories for me. I like to look at it and remember those fun times. But candles are meant for burning and I've had this one for ten years. I think it's time to separate the object from the memories. I lit it last night and felt pretty good about it.

And finally, the two tiny jars of paint. You should know: I love to build and paint old timey monster models. Except, in the few years I've been collecting them, I haven't finished any. This has been a priority that got pushed aside by non-priorities for years. Ian put these paints in here to get me to work on a monster model this month. I'm super excited to make some progress and show you one of my very favoritest hobbies.

Here's one of my grandpa's models for your viewing pleasure:



Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect but this little game turned out to be really informative. It forced me to see things clearly, both the physical objects and the reasons I'd given for keeping them. It also helped me be objective which is the biggest hurdle in giving my stuff away.

I highly recommend you try a similar project. It's fun and enlightening. I'm already excited to see what Ian puts in the box for October!

Minimalism by Theft: September

It's October 1 and I'm happy to report that my Minimalism by Theft project is working just as planned! Ian did a great job stuffing this box full of my things and I didn't peek once. I also didn't notice even one thing missing, which is interesting because this box is full:



First up, the things I'm ready to part with:



I found these shutters on the corner a few years ago and thought they would make a cute alternative to a headboard (which I don't have). As you can see, I never put them up and most likely never will.



I've had this pair of plant shelves for about ten years. They're nice because they're as tall as me but they fold up so tiny. I used them for books when I first got them but for the last five years they've been folded up in the basement. I was planning to put plants on them this summer but that never happened. I can't imagine I'll use these again (for books or plants) so I'll give them to someone who can. I do really love them though.



Some shirts that can go to a good home. That white and blue striped tank-top belonged to my dad and I've been holding onto it for sentimental reasons. But, I can talk to my dad on the phone any time I want so there's no need to be sentimental about an old shirt.



Miscellaneous stuff I'm not at all sad to see go...I don't even know how I got most of it.



My parents gave me these posters for my birthday one year. I love Monet and it really was a thoughtful gift. But, I haven't put them up in the new place yet and probably won't so they can go to someone else who loves Monet.



Martha Stewart magazines...how I love you! I keep these because they're full of cool stuff and pretty pictures and yummy recipes. Except, I never look thorough them and forgot about all the cool stuff inside. For years I've wanted to go through them and photograph the interesting recipes and inspirational projects. Ian put this in the box to make sure I actually started going through them. Tricky! I've already put two magazines into the recycling. Turns out, there were very few pages of actual interesting content. Now these pages are on my computer taking up no physical space.

There were a few things I wanted to keep so I'll post about those later today.

The Sock Situation

I was sorting my socks this weekend. As usual, there were several socks without mates. Drat! How to solve this problem?

At first I thought a separate box would be great. I'd toss all the lonely socks in there until I did enough laundry to make a match. Yes, the "lone sock box" was probably my most brilliant organizing idea ever!

After a minute of celebrating my cleverness, I thought about the situation from a minimalist perspective. A minimalist would probably have only one type of sock and probably just a few pairs...enough to get through a week or two. And there would never be an extra sock because they would all get washed at the same time. There would be no need for a "lone sock box" at all.

Like Leo Babauta says, minimalism is the end of organizing.

So, while this post is technically about socks, it's also not about socks. It's an example of how I used to think (which is what got me into this mess) and how I want to think (so I can get out of this mess and live the life I really want). It's nice to know that these behaviors I thought were a part of "me" are really just learned habits. And it's getting easier to unlearn them.

Better Things To Do

Most people reading this blog know me from my other blog, Sonnet of the Moon. There I talk about things like fabric and quilting. Not very minimalist, I know...but I have a soft spot for making things that are pretty and in an effort to make them useful, I stumbled across quilting.

For a while now I've wanted to try some sewing techniques that are more complicated than the simple sewing required to make quilts. A year ago I picked up The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff and I flip through it on occasion, awed by the things she can do with a simple piece of fabric.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about my future as a minimalist and focusing on what I want to accomplish in my life. For the past few years I've been "too busy" to create anything important. I fancy myself an artist yet I don't make any art! While workng to rediscover my creativity, I remembered this book and a project I had always wanted to try.

I was flipping through the pages on my lunch break when a co-worker walked by and stopped to see what I was reading. She's sewn a few things before so I knew she'd be interested.

What she said next was completely unexpected. She looked distainfully at the book and said "this sort of thing is for people with nothing better to do."

I thought about this after she left and I'm pretty sure I know what she was really saying. She was saying that her life (her cooking and cleaning and laundry and watching the soap operas she records while she's at work) is all so important and she simply has NO time to do silly things like work on challenging projects or pursue meaningful interests. And she took it out on me, tried to make me feel silly for pursuing things that are, in her mind, not important, a waste of time.

And that's fine. Because I took her statement as a compliment. No, I really don't have anything better to do because everything I do is the best! I'm in the process of freeing myself from obligations and distractions which leaves me time to focus on all the awesome things I want to do! Like going on a nature walk with Ian, having coffee with a good friend, creating art, developing skills.



Life is too short to watch soap operas! I have better things to do!

Little Changes

I just dropped off 6 boxes and 2 lamps at the Goodwill. I was in such a bad mood while packing up all my treasures this weekend. Treasures I found in a box that had been sitting in the basement, unopened, for 5 years. Most of it didn't matter but a few things were pretty and I remembered them fondly. Now they're (hopefully) on their way to someone who will treasure them as much as I did. And I'm in a much better mood, even if it was hard to give my things away. It gets easier each time, though.

I very nearly met my goal for the weekend which was to set the living room and kitchen to rights again. Ian and I have been living in a sea of boxes and we finally had some time to devote to getting things put away (and giving things away). Two more boxes to unpack and we'll be able to use the kitchen table again.



Slowly, things are becoming lighter...both in the house and in me. I'm noticing so many things that I never thought about before. Like just how much stuff I feel like buying just because it's there. Or just how much stuff there is to buy! Ian and I went to Target last night to buy some fake meat and the amount of stuff was overwhelming. It was all bright and shiny and tempting...but totally useless. Ma Ingalls would have freaked out.

I nearly freaked out! And I was happy to notice this because it means I'm changing. It means that stuff is losing its power over me. It means I've finally learned that stuff won't make me happy. It means I'm becoming a minimalist for real! How cool is that?

Things to Ponder

I found these articles particularly interesting and thought you might too:

Minimalism Explained and 3 Lifestyle Myths.

And finally, the one I'm focusing on the most lately: Being Busy is NOT That Important (and this goes with it too).

Say Things That Matter

I've been challenged by Everett Bogue (not personally, of course, but through his blog) to say something that matters today.

Years ago, I kept an online journal. At some point, I made a promise to myself. I decided to stop talking about what I was going to do and instead, talk about what I'd done.

For example, I used to write "this weekend I'm going to clean the house and go to a museum and see a play and finish a painting and save the world!" Pretty sweet, right? Except that I never got around to doing any of those things. It sounded like I did them and soon I started to fool myself into thinking I was busy doing all sorts of fabulously important things all the time.

But deep down I knew I wasn't. I finally got fed up with dedicating so much effort to talking about things I'd never do, with wasting time dreaming of the life I wanted to lead but never leading it. When I made the switch to talking about the things I'd actually done, things I'd actually accomplished, my journal became strangely silent.

But only for a while. Soon I started doing cool things so I could write about them. Then I was doing cool things just because they were fun and rewarding. Then I gave up the journal and started my very own blog so I could show off all the cool stuff I was creating.

I'm not perfect, I still think about doing things more often than I actually do them. But I'm learning to sort out the important stuff from the busy-work and that's helping.

So, what have you been "going to do" for a while? Can you change that into something you "have accomplished"? Can you do it today?

Minimalism by Theft

The other day I had, what I hope will turn out to be, a great idea. In the book Et Tu, Babe, Mark Leyner (both the author and main character) is caught stealing a vile of Abraham Lincoln's morning breath. His punishment is that every week, the authorities come into his home and remove one item. He doesn't know what it is (it could be anything) and if he discovers it missing, he's not allowed to replace it.

I used to think that was a terrible punishment (what if he needed those things someday?) but now I'm intrigued by the idea. In fact, I've even asked Ian to help me implement a similar project.

The rules are simple: every day Ian takes something of mine and puts it in a box. I don't know what it is and it could be anything. At the end of the month, I'll go through the box and keep what I think I need and give away everything else (especially things I didn't notice were missing). If I choose to keep something, I have 30 days to use it or it goes in the donation box for good.

Also, if I go to use something but can't find it because it's already in the box, it can come out so long as I actually use it that day. If I remember correctly, they took Mark Leyner's toothbrush and I can imagine Ian might find confiscating similar objects similarly funny.

I'm really excited about this idea. I'm especially interested to see just how many things I won't even know are gone. So far it's day 15 and I haven't noticed anything missing. I haven't peeked in the box either, although it is tempting. I'll show you September's collection on October 1.

On Books

I love books! I'm always reading one but more often two. I like to switch back and forth, picking the book I'm most in the mood for that day.

Ian has about a billion books and before he moved in, I promised he could use the floor to ceiling (and wall to wall) bookshelf in the room that would be his office. But where would my books go?

About this time I read a great article about breaking the sentimental attachment to books. I stared at my piles of books and no longer saw my trusty friends of old. In their place I saw battered paperbacks that I bought because they were only a dollar. I saw multiple copies of the same books, because, you know, one was just not enough. I mostly saw books I bought because I was going to read them someday.

I looked at those books and felt sad. I'd deceived myself, lost sight of what was truly important. All my friends, all the adventures...they are not books, they are not pages. I thought I loved books but that love was misplaced. What I actually love is reading.

As obvious as that is, you'll think I'm an even bigger idiot after I tell you I own a Kindle.



For almost a year, I've been happily reading books on my Kindle. No paper, no pages, just words and stories and emotions and adventures. I take it everywhere. I carry all my books at all times. Without realizing it, I'd stumbled on the nearly perfect minimalist approach to reading (and collecting) books.

Letting go of the physical pages wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Here are the books I thought I couldn't live without:



And these are the ones I'm keeping for now:



Quite a difference! And this stack might get smaller if certain books become available for the Kindle. For instance, I'm rather particular about translations and the Oxford Classics version of The Three Musketeers is my favorite. Don't be fooled, the Kindle version is NOT the same translation.

I wrote down the titles of all the books I was "going to read someday" and then gave them away. I feel lighter and a little sad, but that's alright. In just 60 seconds I can be with my old friends again. And that's what's truly important.