Minimalism vs. Preparation

After a brief, accidental hiatus, I'm back at the keys! (And it feels so nice.)
Sometimes writing is like showering: I never feel as though I have the time to do it. And then I finally commit, pop in and as soon as the hot water hits, I never wanna get back out.

For the longest time I have wanted to get rid of "stuff". I would have talks with myself.

"Okay," ten-year-old me would say, "today's the day. We are gonna clean our room. Like really clean. Like... invent-a-new-term-for-it clean. We are just going to march right in there, put on some Dave Matthews Band and gut the whole damn room." (I had a bit of a potty mouth, but I allowed for it since it was only ever in my head and also typically just when striving for self-motivation.)

I would march in there. I would put on Dave Matthews Band. And then... I would spend the next four to six hours going through everything that I own, typically spending a shocking majority of time in a drawer somewhere. I would get so hesitant on getting rid of things - things that I certainly did not need - because I felt as though I might need it at some point in my future. (And I was ten, so naturally, no job yet to replace said items.) Couldn't get rid of Summer clothes in the Winter because how can you really tell what you're likely to wear in the heat when it's below freezing outside - it's basic psychology. Couldn't get rid of video games I never really played - they were unfamiliar and would be nearly as good as playing a brand new game, once I got around to it. And not the ones that I played all the time, either - I played them all the time. All of these lotions and perfumes have a little bit left in them. Sure I'm ten and have no use for either of them, and these lotions have expired... but do lotions ever really expire? It's not like I'm going to eat it. Might need this wrapping paper for a last-minute gift. I should buy emergency bows.

Emergency bows, people. These are actual thoughts I had. I was always very talented at creating scenarios in which I would need this or that. And so, my minimalist ways were postponed for another year.

Finally, as I got older and the minimalist movement became more active on social media, I revisited my deep need to purge. I found that the one instance where I might have been able to use that bit of an old shoelace was a bit inconvenient, sure. But all of those days where I didn't need it outweighed it severely. I have been tucking away at my belongings now for over two years and still have not regretted my decision to "cleanse" enough to renege.