Flirting with Minimalism

They say opposites attract.  That's certainly the case with my significant other and I.  While I am an art loving humanities major, Alex is a self-described "boring STEM guy".  When we first started dating, I thought it would be fun to take him on one of those group paint nights - kind of like a "paint and sip", except there was no wine at this one.  He wasn't crazy about the idea, but I think we ended up having fun anyway.  The thing that really floored me though, was when he said "now I'll have something to put on my wall."  His walls at home were completely bare and blank.

Contrast that with me: I have always loved having stuff on my walls.  I have always loved "stuff", period.  Whenever I've become a fan of something, I start collecting memorabilia related to that thing.  Over the years, I've had many fandoms, and as a result I accumulated quite a lot of junk.  Posters, framed art prints, collectible figurines, vinyl records, books, magazines... the list goes on and on.  I have just always been a person who liked expressing my love for something through collecting tangible items.  As I've matured I think I've gotten a bit better at not doing this, but the habit dies hard, because as it turns out, buying things feels good. There's a reason why they call it "retail therapy".

My boyfriend is more or less a minimalist, and I am not.  He doesn't decorate his walls or his car, whereas I have always put up prints on my walls and bumper stickers on my vehicles.  I think his tendencies are beginning to rub off on me though.  Over the summer, I've become interested in minimalism thanks to his exposing me to the concept.  I've read some interesting books and blogs about the subject.  Here's what I find valuable about the minimalist lifestyle:

1: Having fewer possessions helps combat depression and anxiety.  You know how your mental health gets a boost when you are in a clean space without a lot of clutter?  Maybe this isn't as apparent unless you have experienced depression and allowed your surroundings to pile up.  But when you do clean, it feels really good.  It's easier to keep your things clean when you just don't have that many of them. 

That being said, I should practice what I'm preaching.  My room is not very clean at the moment.  But knowing that I could get an endorphin boost from having a cleaner, less cluttered space is definitely motivating.  I have taken some steps already: I've donated lots of clothes that I didn't wear anymore, and taken a few bags full of books to Half Price Books to sell.  I still have quite a ways to go though.

2:  If I'm not buying junk I don't need, I have more money to spend on important things.  Aside from wanting to get myself out of debt and cancel my remaining credit cards, I also want to cut my spending on possessions so that I can use my money to make a difference in the world.  Here's a quote from Francis Chan that I love:

"Downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, beautiful, and nearly unheard of."

Now, I don't make a lot of money.  My own downsizing might not make as much difference as, say, the downsizing of a billionaire CEO.  But what it means is that my priorities are in order.  Since I didn't buy the things on my Amazon wishlist that I didn't really need, I have more money available to give to the outreach fund at my church, and thereby help someone who has less than I do.  I want to say, by the way, that I already do give regularly at my church, and that has been a part of my faith since I came to the Episcopal church 3 years ago.  I believe in using my time, talents and treasure for the spread of the Kingdom of God.  But when I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, I remember very clearly what he said about tithing:

“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”

Ouch.  That's a bit radical, huh?  Basically, he's saying giving should hurt a little or you're not doing it right.  

3:  It's not just about "stuff".  Minimalism is also a mindset.  I am a person who likes to stay busy.  I absolutely HATE being bored!  But the problem is, my mind can get just as cluttered as my home.  I love to read, and sometimes I have 3 or 4 books going at the same time.  The problem with doing this is that my brain can end up overloaded with information, and sometimes when that happens I just shut down and don't want to read anything.  Lately I'm trying my best to only read one book at a time, and give myself breathing room around it.  I need time to digest information and allow my head to clear so that I can really appreciate each thing I'm reading.  I'm not even talking about school books either, I'm referring to pleasure reading.  This summer I had a bit more time on my hands and ended up reading 20 books just for fun (this includes audiobooks).  With fall classes starting up again I will need this space even more.  I'm discovering it's ok to not be doing something - or thinking about something - every single minute.  Being in a room that is quiet, with no music or TV in the background, has become much more soothing to me now than awkward.  

I don't think I'm ever going to be one of those people who lives in a tiny apartment with blank white walls, whose only possessions would fit into a duffel bag.  But reading about people who have chosen a minimalist lifestyle, and their reasons for doing so, has made me rethink some of my habits.  Right now I'm listening to an audiobook called "The Year of Less" by Cait Flanders.  The author of this book decided that for one whole year, she was not going to buy anything that was not consumable.  She also cut way down on takeout, especially coffee.  I've already started implementing this a bit.  I've been trying to pack my lunch for work rather than buying fast food, and bringing a travel mug instead of buying coffee out.  I bought a water bottle with a filter in it so that I could cut down on plastic water bottles (buying less also means wasting less).  And since I got a new car about 4 months ago, I've discovered how nice it is to have a clean vehicle with no stickers on the outside or trash on the inside, and I plan to keep it that way.

How is your relationship with your possessions?  Do you think you would benefit from a "shopping ban", like Cait Flanders?  Do you think minimalism could be a spiritual thing?