Category: Simple Stories

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A sweet reader wanted to share her story but remain anonymous because of some of the details.  I admire her bravery to tell her story.  Here is her story in her own words.

I am very new to the minimalist movement and feel like I have much to learn and a long way to go but I am trying to embrace this evolution for what it is, a lifestyle change and not an overnight process.

In a nutshell, because I know you are busy, I grew up very poor and my mother worked very hard her entire life in a factory to be able to send me to college. I was fortunate to work for some great people in a very solid organization that allowed me opportunities to advance. For the first time in my life I had plenty of the one thing there never seemed to be enough of in our home as a child – money. I married another ambitious person who also thought money was the answer to all of life’s shortcomings or problems.

This week Amy is sharing her simple living story.  Thanks so much Amy for sharing 🙂

It was in the nineties when my husband and I caught the “keeping up with the Jones syndrome.” We got married in 1985, shortly before I turned twenty. About a year later we bought a new, three bedroom house. We had very little stuff and it almost felt empty after moving in.

Today I have a guest post from Jenni talking about her simple living.  Thanks so much for sharing today Jenni!

It’s not popular to question the status quo…it’s weird even.   It’s rare to consider a slower pace of life or hop off the hamster wheel of busyness.  However, in an attempt to not lose our minds or relationships with one another, our family has begun opting for slowness and simplicity.

Last year my journal was totally depressing.  It was filled with pages lamenting about the busyness of life, complaining that I was constantly running on empty.  Our lives were way too full and the daily schedule was suffocating.   On the outside, most days I was holding it together–but the inner turmoil was crushing.  I felt defeated…like a bad mom, a bad trainer, a bad wife, a bad friend, a bad daughter/sister…you name it…I felt BAD.

On paper we had a great life!  Unfortunately we had filled our lives with so many things we loved–we were losing a bit of ourselves in the process.   It was all good stuff…just too much good stuff!

Thanks so much to Pamela for sharing her story!  I love her Gifts of Experience.  Gifts and minimalism are a challenge and often how it is handled can cause bitter feelings.  This is how she handled it for ‘the best of both worlds’.  The following is a guest post by Pamela.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My downsizing journey began five years ago, but at times I feel like I’m just getting started. As a former pack-rat and collector of all things eBay, my path to simplifying has been a long and winding path from my closet to the local Goodwill. Trust me, it’s only in the past 6 months that have I been able to see empty area in my junk drawer.