One thing I've learnt…
… is how to live without my 'stuff'.
Just over a year ago, my husband was posted
to New York and we moved to a shoebox-sized apartment in midtown
Manhattan. Seriously – a shoebox - for a
pair of kitten-heeled slippers – not even a big boot box!
Don't get me wrong – New York is fab-u-lous
and our apartment is in an amazing location. But when it comes to cupboard
space – forget it.
All our 'stuff' went into storage. My
books. My new cookware. My collection of classic weepy movies on DVD. I only
brought 7 pairs of shoes with me!!!!
I discovered I can live happily without all
that stuff – except the books of course, but now I have a Kindle.
Instead of collecting 'stuff', we're
spending our hard earned money on experiences : trips to amazing places,
concerts and Broadway shows. Collecting
memories.
 |
| A New York Blizzard - one of Janet's magic memories |
I also learned that I can't live without my
friends, which is why I'll be on a plane soon to join them all for the RNA
conference. I confess – I will be
bringing a couple of pairs of new shoes. Just because I CAN live with only 7 pairs of shoes – doesn't mean I DO.
Website: www.janetgover.com
– with a blog about those great experiences.
3 comments:
I agree completely - but then I lived out of a rucksack for a year, and still had more than many of the people I met. It's sobering, realising how little we actually need - realising how our way of life has persuaded us that we cannot survive without all our clobber.
But I, too, have a kindle - I can manage without many things, but not books.
The great thing about moving house, which we last did ten years ago, is that you de-clutter and throw things away.
You get rid of clothes you haven't worn for years, and donate the kitchen equipment you bought on a whim to Oxfam, and you ask yourself of everything if you really want to keep it.
Slimming down like this is brilliant. Now if only you could do the same to the excess bits of your person that you don't want!
Liz X
This is what I need to do...maintaining all my stuff takes so much time....
lx
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