What Is the Meaning of Minimalism?

Some people hear the word “minimalism” and think this is negative, there is no abundance.  Some people hear the word “minimalism” and feel free.  What does “minimalism” mean to you? Is a positive or negative word?  Is it something that you would like to have?  Or does the word make you cringe in disgust?

Since I have moved out of my apartment, I have been living out of bags.  I have 2 suitcases (1 small, 1 large), 2 large bags of shoes, 1 electronics bag, 1 make-up bag, 1 bag of scarves and hats, 1 bag of toiletries, and 1 bag of vitamins/medications.  My whole life is in 8 bags/suitcases.  I do have some clothes and jackets I am traveling with that are on hangers.  On top of that, I have my most important bag-my purse.  Carting around all of these bags is so stressful.  I know where everything is and I love that I have each bag organized by its contents.  But still, I am out of sorts.  And I am living everyday shuffling around bags.

Being away from a home so long really makes me think about what is the purpose of carrying around all of these bags?  I am in a prison of my own belongings.  I am constantly shuffling around my bags and looking for things.  The ironic part is that I only use about 10% of of all the items I trek around with me each day.  It really makes me wonder what I am doing with all of these things.

Today, in the hotel I am staying at, the fire drill went off.  I was napping at the time and woke up in a panic.  I quickly grabbed my sneakers, my phone, and my purse.  I left all of my 8 bags, my hanging clothes, and my husband’s two suitcases in the room.  So after carting around heavy bags for WEEKS, the only things that were actually important to me could be carried lightly in one hand.  That was a revelation for me.  If I only have a handful of important items, then why am I carting around 8 bags?

I am looking forward to getting into my new house and liberating my home by getting rid of items that don’t serve me anymore.  I always enjoy purging items (especially in my closet) to make room for the new.  But this time, I am really looking forward to letting things go that I no longer need and hopefully donating it to someone who would appreciate it.

I feel like lately I am serving a jail sentence of carrying my things around and am anxious to find freedom from them.  Things aren’t what define us and make us happy.  I find happiness within people I love and care about and wonderful experiences that I have.  Having too much is almost as bad as having too little.  There needs to be a healthy balance.  I have watched the amazing documentary called “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things” by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus.  I felt like it was so freeing to watch Americans take control of their lives by gaining freedom from things.  Things do eventually weigh us down.  Instead of having material things, life is about keeping the items that serve us and actually living our life.  I feel that life is about the people we meet and what we do with our time, not about how many material items we can buy.  When I am old and grey, I want to remember all of the wonderful people and experiences I have enjoyed and made connections with, not the things I have owned.