I won't sugarcoat it, the downsizing process was not easy. Starting with clothes, I put each item in a stack based on the category of clothing. Pants stack, shirts stack, soon mountains grew around me. When I finally finished sorting, I looked at the pillars of horror. How had it gotten this bad?
I learned a lot about myself that I hadn't known before. I learned that I owned thirty-one pairs of shoes, and that some had ridiculous purposes such as The Fourth of July Shoes. I questioned how many style purses I truly needed. As I sorted, it became clear that you need a lot less than you'd think.
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| I was in shock when I realized I owned thirty-one pairs of shoes. |
To me, old band t-shirts are being sixteen years old again, a warm summer night breathless with anticipation for the band to come out on stage. It's the glint in the eye of a faded stuffed animal that reminds me living in more simple times. I tend to attach memories to items, and it's hard for me to let go.
As I sorted through my "hobbies" bin, I was honest with myself about which interests I had grown out of and which were still important to me. Deciding what to keep, and what to toss reminded me that I should spend more time doing activities that feed my soul and cut back on things like mindless phone scrolling. I'm genuinely excited to reconnect with the things I love.
After approximately the 8 hour mark of cleaning, I was sure I was finished and this was everything coming with me to the tiny house. The longer I looked at it, the more my heart sank and I realized my work was not yet done.
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| I thought I had gotten rid of everything but the essentials, but I quickly realized there was no way this could all fit comfortably in the tiny house. |
So back to sorting I went. It took about three hours to complete what I deemed The Second Pass and this is where things got very interesting.
It began to feel less like a chore and more of a game. Could I do without this wall decoration? Sure, the house didn't really have the space anyway. The faded pillows from college? Toss 'em. The more I let go of, the lighter and lighter I felt until I was completely weightless. Everything I owned now had a specific purpose or fed my soul.
So this is it folks, everything I'm taking with me to the tiny house. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything has intention.
Minimalism is not about throwing away everything you have. It's about being mindful about the things we let into our lives so that we can live clutter-free and clear minded. I learned a lot about myself during this process and feel more peaceful than ever. Tomorrow I will pick up the keys and begin making the tiny house my own.
Updates soon,
Dia
