When you intentionally live with less, it’s easier to accept that you’re about to have to live with less. Let me explain. Several years ago, I committed to living a life less cluttered. I forced myself through a process of self-awareness to find the habits that kept me in the cylindrical pattern of clutter, purge, rest, reclutter, angrily purge, rest, do it again. Rising above the pull to over spend and excessively consume has changed my life for the better in so many ways.
I buy only when I need or I buy to replace when I want and it has worked so well to keep clutter at bay. In 2020 we all learned that we could live without almost anything except hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Collectively I think we had higher hopes for 2021, but how many of us are realizing that last year left us with so much more than a new virus to fight?
Even if you didn’t get Covid, you were still touch by the pandemic in some way. There was no avoiding it and many of us are picking up the pieces of whatever the heck last year left us with. This year I became a single mom – two words I never planned to marry. I’d relive the confusion of last year all over again to avoid the confusion that has been this year. Does anyone else feel like they need a little more time to process what happened last year before they have to focus on what is happening this year?
We will downsize and that will be the least stressful part of this year. I’m so thankful for that. In hindsight, intentional decluttering has helped shaped my priorities. That was my hope, but when you have no choice but to downsize, split your assets, and completely rebudget your life you begin to see just how much your relationship with your stuff plays a part in your decision making. Living with less has been a huge blessing on our family. I’ve learned what I truly need and aside from hand sanitizer and toilet paper, it’s the things that money can not buy.
Life Less Cluttered 