A Simpler Life...
So, as I mentioned in the last post, it's been a hectic & emotional year thus far. We've had a total of 4 deaths in the family in a 5 month period and to say it's been tough is an understatement. However, my motto is if we learn nothing from the lives that have ended either too soon or those we deem to have been well lived, we do ourselves a huge disservice. With this in mind, I took a look at my life and looked at what I was placing the most value on. A simple marker is where the most money goes. And the most time & effort. As I stood in an antiques shop negotiating the price for a chest of drawers I had a eureka moment. What did I need these drawers for anyway? To store the "stuff" I had accumulated & therefore now needed to house. What a vicious cycle we create for ourselves. So...I had spent all this money on "stuff", and now this "stuff" was forcing me to buy more "stuff". I decided to leave the chest (gorgeous as it was) and go back home to examine the stuff that so desperately needed these drawers.
The stuff was all clothes I now really don't wear since stopping work. Some of the clothes made me feel very self conscious & others were just me clinging onto a time in my life that was never coming back. So I got some bags & got bagging. I decided there & then that I only needed things I could store in the storage space we had, everything else had to go. I giggled to myself as I saw things in there that I had thought I would die if I didn't buy - with tags intact! I got ruthless. After clearing out the closet, I moved onto our storage facility and we pretty much moved everything from there straight to the charity shop. We freecycled a fridge freezer to the delight of a dad whose daughter had just bought a new flat. We decluttered the kids toys & clothes. Before long we were clutter free! And our storage in the flat was just right for what we were left with.
In terms of what I place value on, it's been amazing that since the eureka moment, shopping for clothes came to a standstill ( nothing like taking lots of stuff to charity to slap you upside the head!). I'm currently on a mission with my closet, to get it to be reflective of who I am now and be functional. No more throwing money down the drain here! I'll share more on that in the upcoming weeks. I am also more interested in the moments I can spend with my family and friends, the precious moments that money can't buy and that will shape who my children are in the future.
So here we are, trying to live a slightly more meaningful life! I am really convinced that a life with less stuff is a more meaningful life. The stuff that you do have serves a purpose & you enjoy it more. We can fill our lives full of moments & laughter instead.
Do you have anything you do to live a simple and meaningful life? Please share below.
**These pics were taken on a make-up free Sunday! I love how i have 1 pose & MH has a different pose for each shot, lol!!**
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