Minimalism Today S1 E4
Added 2021-02-15 13:01:01 +0000 UTCIn this episode of Minimalism Today, Joshua chats with Jerusha Lang about her challenges regarding moving to a smaller home, non-minimalist roommates, aging parents, an organized hoard, the ‘why’ versus the ‘how,’ and striving for an idyllic existence.
Comments
I live in a house about the same size with two other people and it’s such a nice size for us. It feels big enough that we can be at opposite ends but also not a ton of work to take care of. It also helps that it’s a condo unit so we don’t need to do outdoor maintenance. It’s very freeing. This sounds like what Jerusha is dreaming of as well. :) Wishing her the best!!!
Lisa Benson
2021-02-19 17:15:22 +0000 UTCVery relatable scenario to me, personally. I downsized from the 3 bedroom house with attic and basement to a 2 bedroom mobile home for a couple of years to a 325 sq ft cabin in the mountains in mid-2018, necessitating (or so I felt) a stuffed to the brim 10x20 storage unit. I had no problem with downsizing my wardrobe, my kitchen gadgets, etc. with this move. It was the "meaningful things" that were holding me prisoner. I had heard about this "minimalism" and rationalized it as an interesting concept that I would like to learn more about. I had added the film The Minimalists to my Netflix queue. During a night of insomnia about a year ago, I played the movie. It was a genuine Eureka!! moment at 3am. Minimalism was not about not having things, it was about the things not having you. In my tiny space, I have room for only 1 storage piece of furniture. It was either my Great Uncle's World War 2 Army footlocker or the beautiful vintage early 20th century cedar blanket chest. I have a neighbor whose dream was, like my own, the tiny cabin in the woods. She had just purchased her cabin, had the space, and her decorating style is one for which the cedar chest was a perfect fit. I gave it to her. She was very grateful but shocked that I would just give this to her. I told her that I wanted it to have a home with someone I knew would appreciate it as much as I did, but with my decision to opt for a "snowbird" path and spend at least part of the winter in a warmer climate, I wanted it to be able to be appreciated on a more consistent basis than I could do any longer. I have kept 2 inherited items of my grandmother's, her sewing basket (because I sew and quilt) and her crockery mixing bowl, in which she made her marvelous cookies (which none of her progeny have ever been able to replicate, in spite of the hours spent watching her make these cookies, because she measured nothing). The journey can be a hard process, but it is very do-able. I find that, for myself, being mindful of finding a "good fit" for these accumulated and inherited "meaningful objects" has made it much, much easier (for me) to send them off into a new life. In the year that I have been on this path of intentional living, I have been able to downsize the storage unit to a half-filled 10x10 space. My quilting fabrics, my designer and vintage yarns, my vintage needlework patterns and sewing patterns from the 1900's-1950's, my books (which have been the hardest to curate... requiring several sortings/cullings). Things get sold or donated to other quilters and knitters or to the program at the local middle school that works with "at risk" girls through a local counseling service, or to the local senior center. Some things get sent to the thrift shop. Though I have no need of it, perhaps it will find its way into the hands of someone to whom it will provide value.
Joanne Johnson
2021-02-15 18:48:16 +0000 UTC
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