Mid Year Update

Simplicity.

I started out the year with very clear expectations for my word. I put a number of minimalist blogs in my reader and started researching this concept as a way of life. I purged and I purged and I got rid of a good amount of stuff that we neither needed or loved. I changed the way I thought of gifts. I changed the way I viewed consuming. Very clear path.

But I'm noticing something at this half way mark. I have no desire to strip my life THAT simple. I read (and admire!) people who can fit their possessions into one car. Who travel and move their families all over the world. Who work very minimally in order to support such travel. Modern day nomads. And I admire. And, in honesty, a little part of me wishes I was more like that. But when it comes right down to it, that simplicity isn't what I'm searching for after all.

I'm enjoying my stripped down home. But only because I've been able to fill it with things I love completely (see: my room redo). I've enjoyed saying no to a lot of things. But only because I've been saying yes to much more and more enjoyable things. I'm enjoying my eclectic home because the things in it make me happy. Provide comfort and stability. Provide a life for all three of us. I know it's not the things that are most important, but they can definitely enhance this experience. The things we have left aren't a distraction, but an enhancement. And I think that is how it should be.

So mine, so far, hasn't been an exercise in the getting rid of as much as the replacing. I don't have the unnecessary clutter, but I don't feel guilty when I purchase something new. I look around and my home is calm and peaceful and a true haven. And while I know I have a little way to go, yet, to reach the point I'm aiming for, right now I'm happy with where it is. We may not be uprooting every other year to some faraway land, but we have a solid home base that welcomes us back from our travels. Maybe this is the marriage between last year and this year: my moderation in simplicity.

A surprising turn on of the word, interestingly enough. But one I'm enjoying. And looking forward to seeing where else it takes me.


(it's all been done, bnl)