The failing minimalist tries again
Minimalism has long held a draw for me, a degree of appeal. In various times in my life, both ups and downs (though possibly more in downs), I've wished I was a better one.
And now I'm getting closer than ever.
But I'm still a long way off.
I'm going through a possession purge right now, cleaning out my Stuff (with a deliberate capital S). I started around mid-2024, and I'm still going, little bits at a time, as my spoonage allows.
As I go, I'm discovering that I have somewhat unintentionally started categorizing all my Stuff.
keep, with a reason
This Stuff isn't going anywhere, at least until the reason stops applying.A small selection of books fall into this category, and their reason is that these are the sort of books where it makes more sense to have a physical copy than an electronic one, like plant identification, first aid, survivalism, repair... those sorts of things. In early 2024, I had 3 nearly-floor-to-ceiling bookshelves full of books; today, I have a little less than two shelves.
My pride flags fall into this category, and their reason is my pride, they weigh virtually nothing, and pack down really well. Also, I never put pride on the outside of my vehicles, because it's not safe, so the least I can do is display it privately.
Clothes that I wear regularly fall into this category, because I wear them regularly. My desktop PC has a similar reason, I use it regularly.
My kayak and kayaking gear, because I still go out onto the water regularly (when it's warm enough).
My k'nex... they have a reason, for now. (Deliberate foreshadowing.)
I build furniture out of them, and use them to help me visualize physical space and dimensions. But the time may come when they will descend to the purgatory at the very bottom of this list...
keep, for now
This stuff might have a reason, but it isn't a good one. Or it is in the queue to get rid of, but it's well far down.I have some books on this list. The Complete Sandman Volume 1, my 1970-ish copy of Joy of Cooking, my 1930-ish copy of The Princess and the Goblin, my yearbooks, the manual for my previous car...
Most of my game consoles are here. The GameGear which doesn't work, the Cybico which probably doesn't work, the GameBoy Color which probably does work, the N64 which probably does work, the 360 which does work (but the controllers don't), the PS2 which I haven't tested yet...
My DS Lite (which does work but I don't have a charger for) actually belongs in the keep, with a reason category, and when I'm feeling a little more financially stable, I'd like to look into getting a few more games for.
My DVDs and CDs are here too, though right now I think it's likely that my DVDs may get promoted, while my CDs are likely to get demoted.
All the paperwork that I'm supposed to keep for a certain length of time, but I invariably keep for much longer because I forget or don't have the energy to go through it... that's here too.
donate
This stuff I barely looked at before waving goodbye to.My vast array of sweaters (which I loved wearing as a teen, but no longer suit my style, and I don't have the patience to wash them); the vast majority of my books, which have already been handed over to the local public library, and more that are just waiting for me to make another trip; clothes that don't fit anymore; linens that I have never used; fabric that I inherited from my grandmother that I will never use...
trash/recycle
This is similar to the donate category, except it's shit that I can't conceive of anybody wanting.Batteries that don't work anymore. Cell phones that might work, if I could be bothered to replace the battery, but I'm not going to bother because they're leaking something that can't possibly be healthy. So many freaking empty boxes and notepads and sticky-notes-with-cute-messages!
I found my high school graduation cap, and it stuck around only long enough for me to salvage the tassel before tossing it.
keep, with no good reason
And then, way down at the bottom, there's some things that I don't have any good reason for keeping (nor a bad reason), but I haven't been able to bring myself to get rid of.My pogs.
My bicycle helmet.
My high school graduation tassel.
My "collection" of random electronics cables.
My k'nex... which it just might break my heart to get rid of them.
(Honestly, my non-working game consoles should be down here too.)
Leave a comment or continue reading: k'nex k'nick k'nacks.
