Minimalism

 I get bored and lazy sometimes and watch you tubes on TV. A while ago I got hooked on minimalist videos. You might think I've come into this trend late, but actually I have been getting rid of things for years. It is so satisfying to get rid of extra stuff laying around that it is pretty addictive. 

When we were young we moved several times, and wherever we went was small. Hence, I learned a long time ago about downsizing. Some people make decent money selling off their extra belongings, but not me. I am way too impatient to sit around waiting for someone willing to take this junk off my hands. 

I love giving things away. If I can find anyone I know to "bless" with my offscourings, so much the better. Most moms are involved in hand-me-down activities, especially homeschool moms, although many homeschoolers try and sell their leftovers at curriculum sales each spring. I tried this once, and it was a big bummer. 

People kept asking me about stuff I had never used, which was a bit disconcerting. Also, one lady was begging me to take a check. No way--even though she was my biggest customer. She was buying a trendy (and expensive) Spanish program that we had abandoned...She ended up paying me with fistfuls of quarters and dollar bills. Too bad she didn't wait me out. I ended up marking down everything to "FREE." I just wanted to get out of there. 

The one time in my life I had a garage sale was about the same. Nowadays I save time and just give away or donate everything. It is delightful. Sometimes I miss the things I got rid of. I have made mistakes. But the funny thing is that in the long run I don't need them. 

My parents had a whole lot of stuff when they passed away. Well, they had lived in that house almost 50 years. That definitely didn't help. The odd thing was, they didn't really care about material possessions. They cared about working. They loved to work, and they loved the people they worked with. 

I think probably they were too busy living their lives to minimalize their stuff. So I did it for them, after they were gone. It was hard, but I'm good at it. I miss them so much.