A few days ago in the early morning, I had finished my warmup routine and dog walk. I had turned the lights off and reached for my ice tea to take into the garage with me for my workout – just like I have done every single morning for the past 1650 days in a row.
This time, I missed and instead of picking up the glass, I knocked it over. It spilled all over my desk, the lamp and the floor. While cursing like a sailor, I rushed to grab towels to sop up the the mess. Fortunately, the spills tea managed to miss both my phone and my laptop.
I had to move my desk from its usual position, perched diagonally in the corner, in order to dry the legs and let the last remnants liquid air dry on the floor. Other than that, a few sopping tools and minor irritation at myself, all was fine.
To my surprise, when I finished my workout a few hours later and came out to move the table back, I actually liked its new location. I’ve been here for nearly 5 years and had never thought of putting my desk up against the wall the way it was now positioned. So I decided to leave it there for a while to see if I preferred it that way.
This, combined with my recent purging binge, got me thinking about the rest of my house. In my bedroom, I have a nightstand on one side of the bed that I use every single night. On the other side sits my extra kitchen chair. For the past four years, I used that chair to hold dog leashes and my coat for when I have to let the dogs out for a midnight pee. But recently, I hung a hook by the back door for the leashes and my coat so the chair has sat empty. I decided to move it out of the bedroom altogether.
Then I removed the door from my walk in closet in the bedroom and replaced it with a drape that matches the others in the bedroom. I get dressed in the closet. Most of my clothes are on its shelves in it. My shoes, dirty laundry and swim bag are all in there too. Removing the door freed up a huge amount of floor space for me to move around (just like when I removed my bathroom door).
I ended up adding a new hook for my swim bag and relocating some of my clothing now that I have more space and maneuverability.
I also did another round of purging, emptying more shelves, drawers and hangers. I’ve got another load in my car waiting to be dropped off at the thrift store. Every time I walk around my home, I come across something else that is too large, never used, makes me feel like I “should” wear it or doesn’t serve me anymore.
As for redecorating, there’s not a lot more to rearrange in my house. Most of my furniture and stuff are located in ideal spots. Or at least, I think they are for now.
I truly enjoy this minimalistic environment I’ve created.
I recently read a minimalism post about “One in…one out”. The idea is, when you purchase something that you already own (like shoes or clothes), you get rid of whatever it is “replacing”.
I like that idea and will use it going forward when it makes sense. That will help deter my “stuff” from creeping up on me.