So minimalist. So Zen. So...boring.
Like any red-blooded American with a YouTube account and access to HGTV, I can expound for days on the virtues of minimalism.
Not familiar? It's the Kon Mari-fueled idea that if you get rid of the things you don't need, don't love and that don't "spark joy," you can free yourself of bad voodoo and live a happier, healthier life.
I once wanted to be a minimalist. (I mean, who wouldn't after reading a guarantee like that?) And what better way to give it a try, I thought, than by moving halfway around the world with just a few suitcases to my name.
So when we were packing the house and figuring out what to bring to New Zealand, I was ruthless in my sorting. It was the first time I'd actually looked at every little thing going into every small, medium and large box we were packing (and Shane and I have moved about half a dozen times in our lives together). It was...a job.
But it was worth it. Over the course of packing, we donated about a third of our stuff -- clothes, toys, furniture, storage stuff, kitchen stuff, all kinds of good junk. And then we trashed about another third of it, most of it junk that should have been tossed out long ago. (And yes, this was my favorite part of the process. I love the dump!)
So that left us with a 10-by-15-foot storage shed full of things we wanted to keep in the U.S., and a 4-by-8-by-8 container of stuff headed to New Zealand. (And if you're wondering, we now own 150 square feet of trailer park-front property in Shepherdstown, WV. Open to visitors if you bring your own lawn chair!)
Look at all this glorious junk. Definitely should have brought that blowup Olaf with us!
The crate of essentials -- beds, books, dressers, winter clothes, kitchen utensils, etc. etc. -- was shipped out the first week of May, and is currently en route to NZ. It has stopped in just about every major city in the world, I think, and then decided to do another loop through the Panama Canal. But, the company promises our crate will be delivered within the next two weeks.
When it arrives in NZ, it will go through a pretty serious customs check. If officers spot anything suspicious -- like, a muddy Frisbee, for instance -- they have the authority to light it on fire. All of it. So...here's hoping we pass inspection!
My little hillbillies :)
In the meanwhile, we're living a bit like minimalists here. I say "a bit" because we actually still have a lot of stuff with us. Shane came over with one suitcase and one large box. I traveled with two suitcases, two boxes, a few carryons, one miniature frog (Froggy!), a plastic shark, about 10 Kindles (why do we have so many of these things??) and a bunch of other random items. And before we arrived, Shane bought enough furniture and household stuff to tide us over -- a few blow up beds, some towels, two couches, a TV and basic kitchen supplies.
So we have everything we need, no question. But we don't have A LOT of everything we need -- which I guess is the whole idea of minimalism. I did it! I am a minimalist!
But here's the thing: I kind of hate it. Do I feel happy and free with fewer material possessions? Eh, mostly I just feel sore and in desperate need of a real mattress.
I miss my stuff!! And that's something I never expected to happen. Turns out I like all my random picture frames and silly tchotchkes, my tea cup collection and 22 sweaters. I like when my living room looks a bit like a Cracker Barrel. I like knowing that, even if I only wear my Old Navy puffer vest one time a year, it's there waiting for me, ready to warm a quarter of my body on demand.
I don't feel inspired to do more with less. I feel inspired to go shopping! (Which, as I pointed out in another post, is not the best use of my time here.)
So here's to giving minimalism a try -- and coming to my senses. My joy will be sparked by the sight of our crate rolling up the driveway. Until then, I guess I'll have to latch onto another YouTube trend. Raw veganism, perhaps??
