My Possession Confessions

If you had walked into our home a month ago you might have assumed that (aside from the excessive number of children's toys stationed about), we are a somewhat minimalistic family.  J and I have never liked cluttered counters and tchotchkes on every surface.  In fact, a clear countertop offers me solace in an otherwise chaotic world; it shouts to me, "hey, you actually do have your grown-up life together!"  So I offer to you, my friends and family, exhibit A (clutter free kitchen counters): 

It's calming, right?  What this picture doesn't accurately capture are the multiple cabinets overflowing with Tupperware (half of which don't match), or the three glassware and dish sets that we never touch or the 25 wine glasses taking up space (although we always only use our favorite set of 4). No, this 'clutter-free kitchen' doesn't hint at my many consumer indiscretions...the only once used Belgian waffle maker I couldn't live without, the Spiralizer that was going to allow me to replace pasta with veggie noodles indefinitely, the Mickey Mouse Cake Pop Maker or the Ninja that was going to revolutionize my breakfast smoothies- if in fact I ever decided to drink breakfast smoothies.  

Sadly, the kitchen wasn't the only area hiding our stories of 'we may need it someday', 'we should have one of those', 'we could use another' or 'ours is so old'.  The past month I've come face to face with the fact that while I haven't reached full on hoarder status, we are in the throes of full on consumerism.  And it's ugly, folks.  When you're forced to go through your home and touch every item you own and truly ask yourself what is necessary and what brings joy, it's somewhat alarming to realize that so much of what we've amassed doesn't tick either of those boxes. 

I'm frankly pretty embarrassed to show you this, but it would feel inauthentic not to (and, what the hey, sharing this may be my first step toward recovery 😉)

I estimate that 45 bags or boxes of donation items, and over 20 bags of trash plus miscellaneous items have left this house in the last month (yes, our bulk trash workers hate us and the Goodwill staff and I are on a first-name-basis), yet we'll still only barely be able to squeeze our belongings into multiple sizable storage units.  As I said, pretty embarrassing. 

I share this, not to point fingers or make you feel bad about your next shopping trip.  What works for some, will not work for all and that's 100% okay.  I'm putting this out into the world because this past month of constant purging has really forced me to think about my 'stuff' in a whole new way.  Why did I buy it in the first place?  Do we actually regularly use it? Am I keeping it 'just in case' we may need it?  Could someone else be enjoying it if I let it go? It's changed the way I think when I walk into a store; I actually find myself questioning:  "is this something I actually need or do I just like how I feel when I buy it?" 

Tomorrow we close on the sell of our home.  We're still several months from hitting the road, but already I feel the winds of change (poetic that we've started this journey in the Fall, right?)   I'm simultaneously nervous and excited and scared, and I'm really hopeful that the effects of this purging exercise and of tiny-living will be long-lasting in a positive way. It is my regular prayer that our family can mature enough, together, to see the value of living with less before we go back to a traditional home, and most importantly, that we can teach our children through this adventure the value of relationships, experiences and service in contrast to the constant pursuit of material things.  It's a tall order, I know. Maybe it's a little naive...but a girl has to have goals, so goals I will make! 😊

Until next time, 

Jess