We returned from two and half months on the road (with a two week break back in late January), only to be faced with the lies we’ve been telling ourselves. We have been reading & blogging & discussing our adventures in minimalism for the past few months and yesterday we returned to face the truth:
we’re swimming in things, we’re collectors & it’s hard to let go.
prints. papers. storage holders. real plants. fake plants. frames. pens. magnets. matches. note pads. calendars. journals. desks (we have 5). couches (we have 4.5). beds (we have 4). bed frames. book shelves. coffee cups. art. greeting cards. rulers. nail files. soaps. the list goes on.
we went to bed upset with ourselves and upset with the picture we’ve been working hard to paint for ourselves that just isn’t as beautiful or honest as we hoped it to be.A few months ago we got rid of some clothes & some books & we were feeling good for a bit. So what? We haven’t scratched the surface & at the core of everything we know, we know this other stuff will continue to weigh us down until we choose to honestly confront it & purge what isn’t bringing us joy. It’s time to own that we’re having trouble getting rid of the extra weight.
so what’s next? there’s good news. We speak for ourselves: our “things” blanket underlying insecurities, and create a mirage of security, while creating a feeling of anxiousness. But in using our energy to hold on to these things, we leave less room & strength for our truest desires. desires for peace, desires for freedom, desires to travel more & desires to have more time to connect with the people we love. So now we are faced with the biggest question: Are we willing to give up our security of our things, in exchange for our truest desires? It’s time to dismiss the perfect picture of how great & easy it is to de-clutter and the magical things that happen when you do. It’s time to own the messy truth of how hard it is to choose living over holding tight to our security blankets.
