Creating a Clearing

I read a book a couple of years ago filled with stories about the authors experiences in cultures around the world, and lessons for living a more fulfilling life (I really wish I could remember the name of it!). One of the stories came back to me today vividly. In it the author traveled to Norway to visit a friend, and it was striking as he described how simple and basic his friends apartment was decorated, and the apartments of others he met while there. He found that while his friend had everything he needed - a couch, lamp, bed, clothes, dishes - he ONLY had what he needed. Nothing extra. For example, he had 6 glasses and 6 place settings, because that is the most people he would expect to be entertaining at once, but no more than that. No extras. His closet had only a few nice outfits there. He lived comfortably, but did not have any clutter. No excess.

The concept struck me as so liberating. Why have stuff cluttering your home when you will only use it once in a while, or not at all? Why spend money on things unless you really need them? It is very practical, and yet missing from the consumer culture here in the U.S.

This is at the forefront of my mind right now because we are in the process of packing up the tiny home we have been living in for the past 10 months and moving into the house we are buying. Our current house was only meant to be temporary, and the basement is completely full of unpacked boxes and furniture and toys that we had at our old house. The fact that we have not used most of the stuff down there makes me realize that we don't really NEED it. And it doesn't feel good to live on top of all that stuff, it is definitely bad feng shui. It is even hard to think very clearly sometimes when I've been in the house for long.

I'm also taking part in a workshop called Mondo Beyondo about following your dreams, and one of the lessons is to create a clearing in your life. This clearing can be clearing more time in your schedule, or literally clearing space and organizing your living space. The idea is that making this clearing frees up your energy and declutters your mind to allow something new to emerge. New opportunities, new space for doing art, or whatever it is that you need in your life that now has room to live.

The idea of clearing away a lot of that extra stuff and living more simply is so appealing to me. Living with just what we need would be freeing. If we don't need to buy so much we can work less. We can spend less time taking care of all of our stuff and more time doing the things we really like to do.

It is also a key component of living a green lifestyle. Buy less stuff. Period. Less waste, less energy, less pollution. We have to shake this weird concept that more is better. More stuff just takes up space.

We move in one week. Through this move I am making a clearing and look forward to seeing what new wonderful things come.