Downsizing lowdown

-By Lisa

I talk the talk. 

Non-consumerism, getting rid of clutter, requiring less. 

I’m the “simplify, simplify, simplify” girl. 

Now I have to walk the walk. 

Husband and I are moving. We are downsizing. We are moving to a place that is about half the size of our current house. 

Our new place is less impressive looking, it has less storage, less bedrooms and less yard space. 

Our new place also has less mortgage, less lawn to mow, less floor to clean, less driveway to shovel, less utilities, less taxes, less carbon output. 

Less is indeed more. 

We don’t have to move. We didn’t get laid-off, or foreclosed on or any of the other, unfortunate and increasingly common reasons people are forced to downsize. This is our choice. It’s just a matter of priorities. 

We are a family of 2; Husband and I. Our two dogs recently passed away and we are childfree. We have undergone some pretty major changes lately, which have caused us to reassess what we want from life. Moving to this smaller place will allow us to “turn our dreams into our goals” as Husband The Poet phrased it. 

Those goals are: 

• To be entirely debt free 

• To travel to every corner of the planet 

• To be able to give (both time and money) to causes that are important. 

• To work at a job that has real value and meaning, even if it pays peanuts. 

Those things are more important than having this so-called dream house that drains our time, energy and bank account. I’m excited for this shift. 

That’s the ideological stuff. But then there’s the other stuff. 

Like our stuff. 

In preparation for the move, we are getting rid of about half of our possessions. This is where the rubber hits the road for this whole simplification thing. And to be honest, I’ve shed many a tear about letting go of some piece of furniture because we will no longer have the square footage for it. 

I’ve been trying to practice the Buddhist concept of detachment. I recently watched a great show on PBS, The Buddha. One of the Buddha’s teachings really struck me. He said that people get sad when the glass breaks. But if we knew all along that the glass was already shattered, we could step back and simply appreciate it for its beauty and usefulness while we had it. (Buddha, forgive me for paraphrasing.)

We never really own anything. Not our possessions, our relationships nor our situations. We just hang out with them for a while until the inevitable change comes. So, I am trying to understand the essential impermanence of all things, because that allows for such freedom for gratitude. 

It’s not a coldness or lack of caring, it’s actually the space to love something more fully. Clinging to things in an attempt to make them last forever is not only futile; it causes more fear and pain. 

It’s not about being scared that I will lose something, it is the acceptance that I absolutely will lose it -- so I can fully throw myself into loving it right now. Knowing that my dogs could only be with me a short time, allowed me to love them even more deeply. They were already shattered. We all are.   

This aspect of simplification is not nearly as fun as mixing up a batch of homemade deodorant. But it is incredibly meaningful to me and gets to the heart of this whole "simple" thing - finding your peace. 

This downsizing will continue to be a process that is both rewarding and difficult. I’ll keep you posted as we find our way through it. I continue to work on developing this skill of detachment, and meanwhile, I get the wonderful satisfaction of knowing that local charities are making out like bandits as they get all our things. Here is a list of the charities that I like here in Charlottesville. 

SCPA Rummage Store – can arrange for pick up of large pieces. 

Focus Flea Market – only accepting women’s clothes at this time. 

Jefferson Madison Regional Library – currently accepting books for the Friend’s of the Library Booksale at all branches.

Goodwill – 2 locations in Cville, on Pantops Mountian and 29N. 

Salvation Army – can arrange for pick up online. 

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

 

 

Comments

[Armywar30]

I will be doing the same thing soon, I spent alot of money on just junk really. World Trade Market, Bed Bath and Body, Excess Furnisher. What ever looks likes it is there for show off and has not use but just that I am going to get rid of.

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

Good luck with the downsizing! It's very freeing...