Welcome to 2015 and another first day at attempting to change my life yet again.
Goals for 2015:
1) finish dissertation and graduate
2) get a job near Portland
3) move to Portland
4) have romance
Other things on my mind:
I have too much stuff. Get rid of stuff!
I don't have time to get rid of stuff because I need to focus on graduating.
If I get rid of stuff now, what will I do if I need it later?
Ok, so it appears that STUFF is a bit of a sore subject for me…
http://www.theminimalists.com has much to tell on the topic.
Notably, this is not the first time I am considering the minimalist lifestyle, but I am not so sure I can do it. Why not? If there was ever an individual willing to try, basically, ANYTHING, well, that's me!
I wonder what all I could learn on the journey of letting go of all of my extraneous possessions…
What if I save all the money collected from all the things I sell this year? How much money could I have by May? By August? By December 31? Perhaps I would no longer NEED a one-bedroom apartment, perhaps I wouldn't be dreaming of having a garage to STORE all of my "equipment" and "supplies"... Oh, how nice that would be… perhaps?
Honestly, the vast majority of my "supplies" fall under the SHOES category, but they are nice shoes. Here we can find 2 pairs of climbing shoes at $100-250 a pair, 2 pairs of cowboy boots, a Gucci I was lucky enough to snatch out of consignment, some Merrills for hiking; Doc Martin era Shelly's from London "with screws on the bottom", which I have not worn since high school; and some grandma-style bowling shoes, etc etc etc…. Seriously, do I need all those? What if I decide to go hiking again? How nice would those be? Ok, Merrills stay. What about climbing? Ok, well I should keep one pair of climbers - the cheaper ones, the more comfortable ones. The cowboy boots I will give a try. I'll post them to ebay for 2x the price i paid, and if they get sold, they get sold. Same for Gucci's. I will post all of those for More than I paid for them. My heart bleeds as I write these musings, as if i am IN LOVE with shoes.
But that is not all.
Then there is sporting equipment: pull-up bar, extra yoga mat, volleyball ball, foam roller, a tent, a blow-up mattress, horseshoes for those lucky enough to have a yard, bocci, compression ankle tights too small for me; socks, also too small for me….
Then there is clothing - stuff that doesn't fit me anymore, stuff that never fit me to begin with, and stuff I just really really like even though I'll never wear it - stuff that I want to pass to my kids mostly so they see how cool I was back in the day. Though I don't even have kids, and may never have kids….
I'm just not sure whether letting go of possessions today is a wise idea - to declutter and make a few bucks - or not such a good idea - risking to inadvertently let go of pieces of myself that I wish to keep to remind me of who I am and what I do and want to do. It seems more reasonable that the things I value so much for "reminding" me who I am are actually taking up my time, taking away from who I am.
And, as always, the answer is an ambivalent MAYBE, a resounding PERHAPS, and the final answer may only be obtained THROUGH the process.
This will be my lent for 2015: letting go of material possessions. One little step at a time I will pluck away pieces of my cluttered household to make room to breathe and grow spiritually. I hope to peel away layers of camouflage, eliminate distractions, and to find peace.
Now that I have mapped out the first steps on my journey, I hope to stick to it and get to the destination unknown, not quite perceivable in this mess, but intriguing and inviting in its simplicity.
And I'm graduating this year. That's a must.
Goals for 2015:
1) finish dissertation and graduate
2) get a job near Portland
3) move to Portland
4) have romance
Other things on my mind:
I have too much stuff. Get rid of stuff!
I don't have time to get rid of stuff because I need to focus on graduating.
If I get rid of stuff now, what will I do if I need it later?
Ok, so it appears that STUFF is a bit of a sore subject for me…
http://www.theminimalists.com has much to tell on the topic.
Notably, this is not the first time I am considering the minimalist lifestyle, but I am not so sure I can do it. Why not? If there was ever an individual willing to try, basically, ANYTHING, well, that's me!
I wonder what all I could learn on the journey of letting go of all of my extraneous possessions…
What if I save all the money collected from all the things I sell this year? How much money could I have by May? By August? By December 31? Perhaps I would no longer NEED a one-bedroom apartment, perhaps I wouldn't be dreaming of having a garage to STORE all of my "equipment" and "supplies"... Oh, how nice that would be… perhaps?
Honestly, the vast majority of my "supplies" fall under the SHOES category, but they are nice shoes. Here we can find 2 pairs of climbing shoes at $100-250 a pair, 2 pairs of cowboy boots, a Gucci I was lucky enough to snatch out of consignment, some Merrills for hiking; Doc Martin era Shelly's from London "with screws on the bottom", which I have not worn since high school; and some grandma-style bowling shoes, etc etc etc…. Seriously, do I need all those? What if I decide to go hiking again? How nice would those be? Ok, Merrills stay. What about climbing? Ok, well I should keep one pair of climbers - the cheaper ones, the more comfortable ones. The cowboy boots I will give a try. I'll post them to ebay for 2x the price i paid, and if they get sold, they get sold. Same for Gucci's. I will post all of those for More than I paid for them. My heart bleeds as I write these musings, as if i am IN LOVE with shoes.
But that is not all.
Then there is sporting equipment: pull-up bar, extra yoga mat, volleyball ball, foam roller, a tent, a blow-up mattress, horseshoes for those lucky enough to have a yard, bocci, compression ankle tights too small for me; socks, also too small for me….
Then there is clothing - stuff that doesn't fit me anymore, stuff that never fit me to begin with, and stuff I just really really like even though I'll never wear it - stuff that I want to pass to my kids mostly so they see how cool I was back in the day. Though I don't even have kids, and may never have kids….
I'm just not sure whether letting go of possessions today is a wise idea - to declutter and make a few bucks - or not such a good idea - risking to inadvertently let go of pieces of myself that I wish to keep to remind me of who I am and what I do and want to do. It seems more reasonable that the things I value so much for "reminding" me who I am are actually taking up my time, taking away from who I am.
And, as always, the answer is an ambivalent MAYBE, a resounding PERHAPS, and the final answer may only be obtained THROUGH the process.
This will be my lent for 2015: letting go of material possessions. One little step at a time I will pluck away pieces of my cluttered household to make room to breathe and grow spiritually. I hope to peel away layers of camouflage, eliminate distractions, and to find peace.
Now that I have mapped out the first steps on my journey, I hope to stick to it and get to the destination unknown, not quite perceivable in this mess, but intriguing and inviting in its simplicity.
And I'm graduating this year. That's a must.
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