December 22, 2010

What if you had to move onto a boat?


...or into a tiny house? Or a basement or attic? Or a camping trailer or RV?

Sometimes I imagine having to move everything I own onto a 30-foot boat. Would I be able to? What would have to go bye-bye? Two of my favorite blogger/travelers, Pat and Ali of Bumfuzzle are doing it for the second time (the first was for a trip around the world) with their young daughter on a 43-foot Spindrift sailboat. Years ago, Jay Shafer moved his life into an 89 square foot tiny house, and Chad and Ana of Chanatrek did it in a VW bus.

Maybe when you get rid of everything, you don't lose what's left of your life...you gain the rest of the world.

Photo courtesy of phil_g/Flickr

December 9, 2010

Decluttering as Meditation


When I am feeling a bit agitated or stressed, I find a surprising amount of relief from cleaning and decluttering my house or even just a small space like a closet. I don't know if it's the tossing of unwanted items or just the exertion caused by the work, but I always end up feeling better.

Meditation is used as a practice to declutter the mind, maybe it can be the other way around as well. Decluttering in order to calm the mind.

This article from AARP last January said it best:
"What you gradually discover, as you begin to declutter the space around you, is that as your personal ecosystem changes, your choices broaden, life feels more manageable, and your surroundings become better suited to who you are now—and what you're aiming for in the future."
Get a head start on your future, and on one of the New Year's top resolutions and clean out your closet and your mind.

Photo courtesy of [Two Roses/Flickr]