Minimalism and teaching the next generation

When you think of minimalism, I assume you think of shades of beige and perhaps homes or offices pared down to the bare bones of what is needed to function. I lament that this is exactly what many think when I tell them I am a minimalist; in my bright attire and funky shoes, they simply don't believe me. Minimalism needs a new PR campaign, and I'm stepping up to help. This is a ten-part series. Welcome to part one.

I request that in this essay you dismiss what you thought you knew about minimalism; that is, you keep an open mind to the ideas that I will present to you and allow yourself not to think of minimalism as one static thing but instead as a dynamic, ever-changing theory. That being said, bring yourself to allow questions and concerns to filter in and out of the ideas I present, and ask yourself what they are telling you about your own life. If something resonates, ask yourself why? If something pisses you off, wonder why? It is in the moments that we question the world and ideas inside of us that we truly see what it means to be human and evolve.

As we know, if you are not changing, you are dying.

Minimalism should feel like freedom

There is so much that requires our attention in the world, and our possessions are no exception. This mental clutter was made evident to me when I noticed that my daughter was not playing with her Barbies. Her Barbies had tons of small items that came with them and were supposed to enhance the playing experience. Instead, she was overwhelmed and opted to play with things like Little People, which, by design, come with many fewer small items. It was in this experience that I asked her, since playing with these toys (Barbies) stresses you out, may I donate them. She contemplated this question; she was not new to this question. We had often discussed the need to donate items as we got new items; she thoughtfully says, "Let another kid enjoy them." It was in this moment that I realized we simply have to allow ourselves the option to be rid of things that no longer serve us. We quickly posted them on our "Buy Nothing" Group (if you are not aware of these groups, please look them up on Facebook- you post things you want gone and people pick them up, easy!) Within two hours, someone was picking up the dolls. Just like that, one drawer of unused toys is gone. Once we had momentum, the rest of decluttering her room was easy. A simple yes or no and POST! Now we see that she is less encumbered by the amount of toys and is more creative and ACTUALLY wants to play with the toys she has.

For adults, I think of our closets, full of clothes we might wear, some we never wear, and others with tags on that taunt us. I found I would wear the same 20-25 items of clothes, and the rest were in the way, or falling off hangers, requiring me to pick up and hang up AGAIN. I decided to finally donate those that I had not touched for months and implement a 50-item hanger rule. I have 50 velvet hangers for 50 items I wear. If I decide to buy more clothes, I have to keep them in the 50 hangers. This evolved to include a small chest of drawers; however, the rule remains the same. I will not be keeping things I don't wear in a 3-6 month period. I went so far as to buy two pairs of jeans and three shirts, and that is my rotation for the summer to avoid decision fatigue. When people hear this, they balk, what only like three shirts??? How do you stay stylish...easy...I do not care to be stylish. I want to be comfortable and be able to live my life. I know what I am going to wear-no time is wasted on this concept, and now my mind is free to think about other things. This is where the freedom lies: in taking care of smaller things, you allow yourself to have more mental space for other things.

Between toys and clothes, we are all aware that these items are typically made by people in not-so-great situations. This keeps the price down so that we will continue to buy these items, but at the cost of the producers. Truly, the cost is to our humanity; by purchasing these items, we are saying with our dollars that we are okay with this labor practice. I explained to my daughter that people are forced to make these things for us, in factories and other conditions that are not good for their health, and it is up to us to either stand for this or not. This struck a chord with her, her empathy high for anyone who is seen to be suffering. We discussed how experiences are better than things, and she has wholeheartedly gotten on board. At the time of writing this, we donated around 3-4 bags of toys. I told her we would not be buying more, and with her little hand raised, she said, "I know, this is what I want."

I hope to continue to be as convicted as she is, and for now, we are doing well. Most of our items now are secondhand; we barter and trade and make do. More of our time is spent doing anything other than buying more things and managing the things we already have. This freedom makes us rich, and I hope you see some inspiration in what I have described to you.