We (and by that I mean mostly ‘I’) are on our third attempt to pare down our belongings to only the treasured possessions or practical, necessary items. I didn’t realise it would take three attempts at this and probably we are not finished yet, who knows? What I have learned is that with every clearing out, one sees things better….and differently.

I can literally see the items left and have begun to remember if I use them or not and if so, how often. I have also begun to realise which things are special and which things cloud the scene and keep me from enjoying the true treasures. With each paring down I feel a weight lifted. There is less to clean and organise, and less to keep track of. But also there is a deeper knowing about what is important that comes to the surface.

This time I’m serious. I’m preparing us in case we need to move somewhere that is about half the size of our current square footage. I have a goal I can visualise. If we don’t move we will just have a blissful amount of space to enjoy and I will have far less to clean. Our house is not a large house but it is a three bedroom with open plan kitchen/dining/lounge and of course the shedio—my studio and a small amount of tools one keeps in a shed. This area will be my biggest job. Most of the gardening tools we need to keep. There aren’t many and if you have a garden they are necessary. But the art materials all must go, except my beloved pastels. Every week I try to add pieces to our rubbish collection bin to keep things on track. Others I box up for the next garage sale.

A few weeks ago the big achievement was to organise and clear out recipes and cook books. This is my third attempt at this, too, maybe even my fourth or fifth. I’ve noticed that over the years our eating and my cooking have changed, evolved and changed again. We eat more simply now. I don’t feel the need to tackle new cuisines or new dishes all the time, though I have saved favourites from past successes. I’ve noticed as we age, we just eat less, entertain less and enjoy more.

Of course we don’t only see with our eyes, we see with our hearts too. As we shed the things we’ve collected from over the years they remind us where we have come from and who we were and wanted to be. In my case I came from America in physical form, but in spiritual form I was only in my pupate phase. I understand that I did not leave the people there that I loved and still love, I was going forward to a new place, a new way of living that somehow fulfilled my spirit. We also understood that is why our daughter left Alice. She did not leave us. We inherently understood she was seeking her own life in a place where she could express herself more fully.

Joshua Becker from Becoming Minimalist (blog https://www.becomingminimalist.com/) recently wrote ‘There is a beautiful freedom that comes with contentment; a freedom to be who you are, enjoy who you are, and live the life you were destined to live. His previous article about contentment (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-unmistakable-freedom-of-contentment-and-how-to-achieve-it/) further describes that contentment fuels ambition. And he prefaced this by talking about how minimalism can bring contentment and then new energy. Not everyone wants to live a minimalist life, we certainly don’t. But certainly minimising distractions of various kinds can lead to greater contentment.

So rather than just referring to our current process as ‘downsizing’ I am thinking it is a ‘reimagining’. Our aim is not to live as minimalists, but to keep what helps us live a life that continues to more fully express us, both as a couple and as individuals. Things archived away in boxes and cupboards do not contribute to that. I’ve realised those things are representative of the learning and experiences we’ve had previously. There are many. And it is such a privilege to be reviewing them and see what full lives we’ve had. But I can let go of most of them, knowing they have done their job. A few days ago I came upon a small collection of notes I had saved from when Allison was growing up. All of a sudden it has hit me what this tiny collection of notes means. I will keep it. The handwriting, the misspellings, the messages are so personal and so indicative of the stages of her life. I can scarcely believe I had the sense to save some of them. There were many that I did not save, but this is enough.

‘Downsizing’ does not completely describe the complex nature of what we’re doing. And certainly the word ‘decluttering’ leaves room for improvement as well. That was appropriate for previous efforts of a similar nature. What we are doing now is reimagining our life and changing the trajectory. We agree that it feels more like a new adventure than a winding down of our previous life. It is a new stage. And with new directions come learning and possibility, and perhaps a little ambition.