Christa, Days 32 and 33: Make Mine Minimalist, Martha

I can say with some certainty that I will never be a true minimalist. Not like this, anyway. Maybe like this. I like having things because they are comforting and the natural inclination of most human beings is to collect. I am not my stuff, but my stuff is a way to show the world who I am. Not the only way, one way. Stuff is design and choices and a person's stuff says a lot about who they are. The person who owns this stuff is probably pretty different from the person who owns this stuff. I think that's okay. I also think minimalism can be taken too far unless that's what you're into - if the life of the Ascetic is not what you're into, you're going to be pretty unhappy living the true minimalist lifestyle.

Today's simplification idea, along with yesterday's:

Make your house minimalist. A minimalist house has what is necessary, and not much else. It’s also extremely peaceful (not to mention easy to clean). More here.
Find other ways to be minimalist. There are tons. You can find ways to be minimalist in every area of your life. Here are a few I do, to spur your own ideas.

Yesterday, I did something that is in direct opposition to the above ideas. I bought a piano. A piano that is, in the world of pianos, quite small, but that is, in my tiny Cape Cod Revival, quite large. I don't know that it gets any less minimalist than purchasing a huge, hard-to-move piece of less-than-useful furniture. None of us in our house really knows how to play, though we can read music and play other instruments. So I bought a piano just for fun.

Verdict: Not a minimalist.

Not that I don't like the look and the lifestyle, in theory. Sure, I'm not wearing a watch and I don't have an iPod. My phone is not running apps, and we don't have cable. But while we have storage and less furniture than some, my walls are covered with photos and masks and framed pictures, and I still have stuff I can't part with. Maybe I will someday, maybe not.

The fact is, I do like a scaled down look, more in line with European homes - less stuff, better stuff - than with minimalist homes. My house is where I live and plan to live for some time, not a fly-by-night stop on life's adventure. I like to travel light, but I'm also putting down roots. I am getting rid of stuff now at a faster pace than ever before, but I haven't figured out what I want my home to be yet.

And I bought a piano.