Sometimes I look around at my 1600 square foot house and think, ” I need more space! I need a craft room, another bedroom, a guest room, a playroom!” Because then I could organize, keep the kid mess in a room designated for kid messes, and have enough space for all my *stuff*. Sigh. We have clutters of *stuff* all about the house. After a while, it gets to me. It takes up precious mental space as well as physical space, both of which are a limited commodity.
So I’ve begun to think…
… of the countless numbers of people who have much larger families than I do, and who live with so much less (less stuff and less space for said stuff)
… of those who sleep in one room together, whole families cacooned in one bed or one room
… of the difference between necessity and want
… of the benefits of learning to relate when in small spaces, when having to share a room, when having to share toys and one sink and one toilet and one shower, when having to share a bed with a noisy sleeping sibling
… of getting rid of clutter, not by building a bigger house, but by actually deleting its existence
… of the constant internal struggle to consume
… of voluntarily simplifying
So, for the next five weeks I’ll be involved in a discussion group about Voluntary Simplicity which is organized by the Northwest Earth Institute. You can check out the website here.
But I’m going to get a jump start on simplifying my physical life first by decluttering. I am inspired by Dave who began the 100 Thing Challenge. And while the challenge is… well, a challenge… it (ahem) seems like quite a big chunk to take on at the moment. So, I am proposing to do my own altered challenge: The Power of Ten Challenge.
The Power of Ten Challenge is simply to get rid of ten things every day for ten days. If you can gather ten friends around you to do the same, the challenge has a ripple effect, and all will be happier and less *stuffier.* I might not quite be able to live with only 100 things, though that goal is quite admirable and maybe attainable in the future, but I can definitely get rid of 100 things. In fact, I may be able to do The Power of Ten Challenge again and again. This is do-able, feasible, and livable.
Care to join me?
