The Year of Living Minimally - Week Forty-four

Why go minimal? It isn't all about clearing out your junk, although it's a great place to start. When I began this journey last year, I focused only on getting rid of clutter. But that's only a small part of living minimally.I realized I'd been living minimally for years - not interested in accumulating more than I needed, giving gifts that can be consumed or enjoyed (experiences rather than things), being mindful of what goes into the garbage. When I can change for the better, I've tried to do that, but I've failed, too. Hopefully I've learned through this missteps.“I think throwing away your material possessions and throwing away your memories are two completely different actions,” says Fumio Sasaki. I agree. Things aren't the symbols of our connections to each other. You can take a picture of it, if you need to, and still let it go serve a purpose somewhere else.And you don't have to fill all the space! Right now we have one full-size sofa, two accompanying chairs, and a recliner that we bought seven years ago, when back trouble kept me from sleeping in our bed. The only reason we're keeping all these items is because our beautiful but old dog loves them all (yep, she sleeps wherever she wants). As long as we have her, we're not going to disrupt the routine. That's a decision we both agree on. The furniture is old and worn, but we don't entertain in our home, so it doesn't matter to us. And when she's gone, we'll grieve for her presence, but we won't hold on to the old worn sofa. Or the scatter rugs that keep her from sliding across the floor.I do look forward to lots of empty space in our living area.