On minimalism

We’re moving next week, so naturally we’ve started packing our stuff already.

Last night, my wife made the most thought provoking remark about our current stack of boxes that kept me thinking:

“Basically, all those boxes we packed a week in advance is stuff we don’t need to live.”

We pretend, or we like to believe, we’re both minimalists in our approach to live. We don’t have a lot of little stuff around, only have a dozen physical books, with all media being digital.

Even so, when packing boxes you discover that you still have too much stuff. Who needs 4 bottle openers. Do we even read those 12 books often enough to warrant shelve space? Why do we keep moving that set of dinner plates we never use?

We’re currently cooking and eating with a reduced set of items. A few glasses, cups and plates. And we manage.

Our living room is empty. All shelves have been packed and all framed items safely stored. Even so. We still relax in the sofas and enjoy our evenings.

It’s also telling what we didn’t pack yet. Sonos. WiFi. Coffee. Basically, what you pack last is what you really need to live. The rest? Joys of life, extra’s, just stuff.

Moving. It makes you think.