I'm going through my closet as the seasons finally change in a more dependable way. I've pulled everything out of my closet + after putting most of it back, I'm left with a few extra things. I have a leather belt that I haven't worn since transitioning to high waisted pants. There is a tiny box of earrings. (I've kept the same hoops in my ears for years.) I realize I have a few coats again. I stand there...kinda stuck. I don't want to allocate space to these things.
I wonder if I need to keep these items, but I don't think I want to part with them yet. I've spent years wanting to own less. I'd really like to live with very little, and yet there are things that I want to hold on to.
As I moved everything down + up the stairs recently, I felt the weight of photo albums + craft supplies + a tiny collection of Christmas things. I realize that I need to allocate space for the few things I want to keep. That's all really. I suppose that when we've minimized as much as we want to, we have to reckon with the space that is necessary to hold our things. Even van-lifers, if you watch them long enough, end up revealing some mostly unmentioned corner of a relative's basement where they have storage bins waiting for them.
I think a few helpful ways of thinking about my stored items are to:
Love,
Jane
I wonder if I need to keep these items, but I don't think I want to part with them yet. I've spent years wanting to own less. I'd really like to live with very little, and yet there are things that I want to hold on to.
As I moved everything down + up the stairs recently, I felt the weight of photo albums + craft supplies + a tiny collection of Christmas things. I realize that I need to allocate space for the few things I want to keep. That's all really. I suppose that when we've minimized as much as we want to, we have to reckon with the space that is necessary to hold our things. Even van-lifers, if you watch them long enough, end up revealing some mostly unmentioned corner of a relative's basement where they have storage bins waiting for them.
I think a few helpful ways of thinking about my stored items are to:
- decide how much space I can + want to give to them. The allotted, single cabinet or closet or set of shelves creates a boundary by which to abide.
- use them. I've always wanted our family photo albums to be accessible, so that we could look at them. We don't do that often, however, so maybe a more intentional way of living with them would be to set one or two out on designated holidays like Valentine's Day or Thanksgiving. Grandma's quilt or dishes could be used on her birthday every year. This way, these things are not just stored, they are appreciated + become instruments of celebration.
- revisit them periodically. Enough time may have passed in a year or two for me to be ready to let that belt or some more craft supplies go. (That time might also be tomorrow.) :)
- allow them to be useful again. It's fun to see Jo + Julia wearing my rings + to know that they love them as much as I do.
Love,
Jane
