Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity Read Online Free Page A

we consume, including the heartbreaking fact that 80% of the Earth’s original forests are gone. [7] And the stress that our over-consuming habits place on us as individuals and on our planet is just one of many compelling reasons to simplify.
     
    Life is Short – Enjoy Your Stuff
    Stuff is not evil. We enjoy what we own – when we use it. In fact, our belongings can bring great joy to our lives when they help us connect to each other or pursue meaning and goals. But there’s only time for so many pastimes. There are only twenty-four hours in the day. We may dream of the dinner parties we’ll throw, the golf we’ll play, or the songs we’ll write, but if we aim to do too much, we may simply spend our time moving, sorting, and maintaining our paraphernalia rather than enjoying it. It’s unlikely that when we find ourselves bored, the existence of the gadget in the attic is going to occur to us and we are going to dig it out, dust it off, put in fresh batteries and enjoy it.
    The purpose of minimalist living is to get us to a point where every single thing we have in our homes is something that brings us ongoing joy or provides usefulness regularly. The journey to a minimalist life can be exhausting and long, but the purpose of this book is to make it easier and more fun. We can make the process itself joyful if we make a strong decision, and keep in mind our “why,” our biggest reason for minimalist living.
     
    Giving for Joy
    Another truth is that as you simplify, you’ll probably end up giving away belongings to friends or charity. The act of giving leads to joy. Kelly Palace, my aunt, had an entire wardrobe of cold weather clothes, formal, professional attire, as well as casual wear. After moving to Florida, Aunt Kelly didn’t need most of her clothes – she was able to dress more casually and for the warmer climate. So what she did was spread her entire old wardrobe out on the floor, take a picture of it, and post the photo to Facebook with a short message that said, “This is an entire wardrobe for a woman who is a size 4-6, and it’s free to anyone who will come take it off my hands.” What happened was wonderful. A woman came and picked it up. She gave it to a friend who had just escaped an abusive relationship and had left most of her clothes in her old home. This act of giving was a blessing for the woman who received the clothes, but also for Aunt Kelly, who told the story with so much joy. It gave her a lot of pleasure to be able to give the things she didn’t need to someone who really needed them.
     
    When Florida artist Cheri Cruden’s company downsized and she lost her job, she decided to move across the state so she could be with the man who is now her husband. When they moved in together, they had her furniture, his furniture, and furniture from his parents and his ex-wife all crowded together in one home. In addition, the closets were filled with ghosts from his less-than-happy past, including his ex-wife’s wedding dress, despite the fact that they had divorced fifteen years ago. Although it was difficult, the two drastically downsized their belongings. Cheri, a cancer survivor, had learned, as she says, “the importance of trying to possess only what you need.”
    While they were overseeing the ensuing giant garage sale, something beautiful happened. I’ll let you read about it in Cheri’s own words:
    All the neighbors came by and I was selling lots of stuff. Then this lady and her husband came by. I instantly was attracted to her humor and warmth. She stayed quite a while, and during that time we talked about many things. [...]We talked about her shop in Cocoa and she gave me her card and I promised to stop in some time. During the course of this conversation I learned about the homeless people that came into her shop hoping for a coat, or some pans, or something to make their lives a little easier on the street. Well, I looked around and I had lots of very nice clothes hanging