simplepleasures

Could the quest for healthy (I prefer to use the term of balanced) eating lead you to minimalism? 

When one is thinking of minimalism, one probably pictures a Scandinavian home that looks stylishly bare. One could be thinking of just enough plates for a meal for the family, a closet filled with less than 25 pieces of clothing and half a dozen pair of shoes. This would be a cliché definition of minimalism and one would be missing out. Minimalism is centered on the idea that by letting go the unnecessary, you allow more room for the things (material and immaterial) in life you value most. Minimalism is more than having a Pinterest-worthy, perfectly organized house. It’s about giving yourself permission to live intentionally instead of reactively. 

popcornsaladAlong with my quest for a more balanced diet, came naturally a quest for a more balanced lifestyle. I started to feel overwhelmed in my own house, surrounded by way too many possessions. The cycle of tidying and cleaning would never end up and so many things far from not being necessary were of no use. I went into some rooms and cleared some shelves, being happy to find some empty spaces in the house. I was able to get rid of some stuff that I was keeping either to remember the past or by fear of the future. Because it is exactly what clutter is about: rooting us in the past or trying to reassure us about the future.

This slight cleaning and decluterring went on for nearly two years. During those two years we were considering a life change. We finally reached the point where we took the decision of embracing this life change. This meant selling our house, our cars and moving countries. After house hunting, we realized quickly that we would have to downsize significantly and so we had to let go of most of our furniture as well as many other things. About 6 months before the big move I started to sell anything we judged not worth paying for moving across countries. I made car boot sales and Ebay became more than a hobby. I have lost track of how many items left the house, how many things have been sold. Unfortunately, many things could not be sold as I was quickly becoming short of time. A friend took many of our stuff to sell it: all very good quality items in very good condition, yet did not make the cut of traveling with us in our new home.   

Months after the move, one conclusion is appearing, we are not missing any of the items that we have “left” behind! I am still selling stuff, we are still downsizing and yet it is not until a couple of weeks ago after reading “The life-changing magic of tidying” from Marie Kondo that I finally got it! That I had this “ah-a” moment and really understood what clutter was all about.
moving-truckClutter is a distraction… Amassing and keeping clutter is preventing us from concentrating on the essential questions of our lives. And organising this clutter serves exactly the same purpose… It is a distraction, a way of not focusing, avoiding focusing (intentionally or not) on fundamental questions, core values. Until we have been able to face this essential truth, until we have been able to pare down and keep only what we love, use and indeed make us happy, only the things we truly want to keep and not the things we feel obliged to, for a reason or another, until we are truly honest, we are always distracted…

I am far from being a minimalism in the pure sense as I own still many things, but I am getting the spirit of it. I let go of anything that distract me and keep only the things I love, use and cherish. And I am able to live more mindfully, I am able to craft the life I want, the one I have been dreaming of. I can focus on essential questions, on my core values, on our family core values. I have found myself again. I have notice I am more honest with myself and with others.

I consume differently and think about the things I buy, the value they will bring me. And I am able to not shop for things that will just distract me. This is true in many areas…
Happiness is not a journey, it is a lifestyle, same for minimalism or its philosophy… Minimalism is a way of getting back to your roots, to find a balanced lifestyle, the same as a balanced diet let go of unnecessary foods which are over complicated or processed, which do not do you any good, which do not make your heart sing and your palate waiting for this feast. A way to get back to our roots, where eating was simple, uncomplicated, fulfilling, satisfying and nourishing for the mind and the body…