THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT WE ARE DOING in 2021 by downsizing our belongings that we have collected since 2016 and preparing to eventually relocate to a tiny 1900 FOLK VICTORIAN COTTAGE. Being a minimalist isn't part of my make-up at 66. Not yet anyways. Through the years I morphed from having nothing to having a little to having too much. I confess I am a work in progress and it is taking years to reduce back to having less. I desire to downsize and so the work continues. AND IT IS WORK.
After the 2016 house fire, much was destroyed. The root of the problem of collecting too much had not been pulled up by the roots because I continued to collect way too much of this and that. I was and am a collector. Now I desire to downsize and live with less because I choose to. Not because of poverty, but because I can live with less and desire it.
Almost 5 years ago, we tried living in the 1900 Folk Victorian COTTAGE and at that time, my Husband wasn't ready to live in such a tiny house. We went ahead and purchased the house we're presently living in, kept the COTTAGE and used it to store things for us and other family members. Our COTTAGE became a warehouse. Today, we are clearing it out, working at remodeling the interior, and preparing the yard with flower beds.
Because NATURE CALLS, we have to time it out to where we move our Irises in late Summer after new flowerbeds are created. The month of August was spent making new beds and working at clearing out boxes full of this, that and whatever inside the house.
This has been extremely SLOW for me since I am only able to move and work a little at a time. Between health issues, family activities, doctor appointments, etc. I am really slow moving.
We made some headway yesterday as a couple of pieces of furniture were actually removed from there. Hubby used our little "Pete" PT Cruiser to physically take the pieces to different locations. A pink HELMERS chest and a Victorian dresser. Out they went. It is lifting my spirits to see floor space reappear where furniture use to be. All the stuff must be removed so we can freely move about remodeling the interior then we will start relocating major household items to make our COTTAGE our HOME.
We have comfortable chairs to sit in which I use while going through a multitude of boxes and where I rest, do thinking and talking to GOD. The Master Bedroom has been emptied. PTL. A month ago she was loaded with huge boxes needing emptied. This was an undertaking for me as I worked on and off to achieve this. Hubby got one of the flower beds planted full of Irises this past week. Hallelujah. Today, he's going to buy some more soil as one of the beds has sunken. He said he would move another piece of furniture from inside the COTTAGE which I call a whimsical desk that we bought a couple of years ago, but have not used. It will be turned loose of. Out it will go. Each day a piece of furniture will be removed then it will be back to thinning out the junk.
BACK TO THE MAIN HOUSE. This week, I will concentrate on tidying two bedrooms at our main house. Company is coming next week-end. Over the lock down last 2020 and into 2021, I started pulling things out of the closets and drawers and ended up making a bigger mess than I could deal with. My body didn't want to work as my feet and back were challenging my movement. As I have slowly been healing I am able to get more done. Thank God. I am slow, but moving. Hopefully I will make huge progress right here at HOME. I seriously need to make progress.
THESE BABY STEPS TO DOWNSIZING are truly baby steps that will hopefully mature into larger steps to complete our goal for living here to living there.
Gathering up nic-nacs, extra bedding, clothing, dishes, books, clearing out the Cottage Master Bedroom, emptying out furniture, creating new flowerbeds filled with our Irises and gutting the bathroom have been our first round of baby steps. This avenue is time consuming. Exercising patience has it's virtue.
I will continue thinning out items as I go. Our situation seems like it should be a quick fix, but it isn't. Being a minimalist isn't how I am wired. My personality has had me collecting this, that and this again through the years. I am a HOME GROWN collector needing liberated and set free from being manipulated into owning so much. I DID THIS TO MYSELF. I enjoyed having stuff verses having nothing.
This downsizing goes against my grain of collecting STUFF through the years. It's as if I was filling myself up where there was a void of some kind. Without going into digging deep into my psych, I am working at changing whatever reasons I had to collecting so much. Was it fear that I'd not have anything when things are needed? Was I wanting to have a store? Was it so I'd have to stay in one place instead of moving again? Wanting stuff for... whatever? Detaching from the emotional strings connected to things has been a morphing of sorts that is taking time to let go. I am doing it, but not without working at it.
I'm doing it. I must and that's that. My 2022 goal is to fit into the COTTAGE by Summer with most of our furniture with necessities needed for taking care of our selves such as cookware, dishes, towels, sheets, minimum clothing, and still have hobby things. Working steady at making this become a reality.
I have moved/relocated a great deal while married. 20 times (not counting the times when belongings were in storage). I've been at this long enough to know that if you're going to relocate that you need to lighten the load of things that you will be taking with you. I know that it is necessary to turn loose and then after getting to where you are going is easier on you as it is fun to shop and add to the HOME after getting there. Carrying in small purchases a little at a time is easier than carrying load after load after load after load of stuff into the house all on the same day.
Turn loose. Downsize so the move isn't as taxing. Get settled. Start adding to HOME estate. A problem I got into was that I had too much fun adding to the HOME after relocating. We have a basic cake called our HOME and by the time I added the icing which are the extra items, I had more icing than cake. Not healthy. Too much fluff because of too much stuff.
Can I do this thing of becoming a minimalist again? Shall see. Shall see. If I am successful, I'll let you know.
~d👵
