Getting rid of things is a task many of us striving for a new minimal way of life; removing, donating, purging. As a recovering pack-rat this is one of the hardest things I’ve tried to do for myself. There is still a hesitation when I look at my stacks of magazines I know I’ll never go back to read again. A hesitation before I remove the stack of t-shirts I haven’t worn in more months than I can remember but keep around ‘because I like them’. A hesitation with piles of things I am keeping ‘just in case’.
I have often wondered why.
Why isn’t it easy to remove this item. When I am honest with myself I know I’ll never use it. And even if I may think I will use it, when? In the next year? Doubtful.
However, I think I have figured out why I hesitate. I can even sum that up in one word….
Familiarity
I’m used to having this stuff around me. It, or something like it, have always been there. I am not going to place a value of good or bad on this, it just is what it is. I’m familiar with my stacks of things.
At the same time, I am tired of this being a familiarity. It is taking up too many cycles of my attention.
Time to become familiar with being a new way to live. Less junk to pay attention to = more attention for the things that matter. This is why I’m working on a version of minimalism that works for my life. I have better things to devote attention to. Time with my wife and son, time improving, time enjoying life. Now, I’ll still have things; but, only when they add value to what is truly important.
Written 9-Aug-2013; still working to minimize ‘things’ in my life