Moving in..

Well I am here! After a very stressful few days of clearing my house I have moved to my caravan.

I am surrounded by boxes and bags. There is definitely too much stuff here! Because of unexpected trips to Hereford, I could not do the number of charity shop and tip runs that I had hoped for. I cannot work our how to operate the oven: my bathroom light isn’t working and I have very confused pets.

But I love my caravan. I think that I will be very happy here. And doing this has allowed me to hand in my notice at work… a start of a new life.

This couple of weeks have been so stressful and hard. My Dad. His funeral. Trips to Hereford. Packing up a house. I am so grateful to my friends who have helped me. Also those from my Sangha who have been there for me. I have been boring on the subject I am sure but people have been there ready to help me in whatever way they could. It is times like this when you learn who are truly your friends. Some could do nothing practically but contacted me most days to make sure that I was ok. This meant so much.

So a step on my journey! A giant step after such a horrible 16 months.

Minimalism

 

Every item is useful and brings me joy.

I have been watching “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things” on Netflix.  A very timely viewing experience!

I have been decluttering.  Getting rid of things so that I can move from a three bedroomed house into a caravan with ease and tranquility.  It will be quite a large caravan admittedly.  But it will contain all that I own.  And there will be three of us living there plus a dog, two cats and a hamster.  I found the first trawl through the house relatively easy.  It is a joy to rid myself of things that have not seen the light of day for years or have just been sitting on a shelf unloved and unappreciated.  I enjoy giving items to friends or donating them to charity shops because they will be used.  I am looking forward to having a space which is clutter free and attractive to the eye.  A calm space.  A space which houses beautiful, joyful and useful things.

However – I am getting to the tough part now.  The part where real decisions have to be made.  To the part where I have to be a little bit ruthless.  How many pairs of jeans do I NEED?  I am making the decision to have 10 books (I have a kindle) – 5 are chosen; how do I make a decision about the rest?  How many plates, glasses, saucepans?  What do I do with my pictures which are precious to me but difficult to hang in a caravan which has less wall space anyway?  What about that ornament that was a present from a friend?

Sometimes (but not very often and only for a few seconds), I wonder why I am doing it.  The caravan will be quite big.  The caravan will have storage space.  There can be a few things out on the sides.  However, I know that it is important to do this.  I do not need all of those things to feel happy.  A calm, tranquil place with space and clutter free will make me feel more at peace.  I do not want to continue to be attached to things. I feel that minimalism fits well with Buddhism. It’s about living mindfully. Not having and buying lots of things just for the sake of it,  just to feel (temporarily) happy. It’s about being free to live a more meaningful and ethical life.  It doesn’t mean that I cannot live comfortably.  It doesn’t mean that I cannot have lovely, beautiful things. I want my home to be comfortable to live in and to visit.  I want to make my home beautiful and pleasing to the eye.   It just means that I will try not to have more than I need to be and feel comfortable.

So I will continue making the difficult decisions knowing that, in the end, they will be relatively simple.

 

Movement on the house selling front..

After a couple of viewings and a price negotiation, I have accepted an offer on my house.  The relief is immense but it is coupled with the knowledge that nothing is in the bag yet and that the next few weeks will be busy and full of waiting.  The need for patience will be great – and I think you now have an inkling of just how good I am at that.  I have done all that I can for now – I have instructed a solicitor (who sounded very human and approachable on the phone! He does come highly recommended).  And I look forward (not) to having a pile of forms to complete.

As well as that – I have to start seriously sorting my life out.  I am completely downsizing – as in a static caravan downsizing.  Everything that I own will need to fit in that caravan (without the caravan seeming to be cluttered in any way) or in a small shed which I believe that I can have on my plot.  There will be no storage facilities in my future.  All of my furniture will have to go except for one very precious dressing table which will need to be kept safe.  My Great Grandfather built it.  He was a woodwork teacher, I believe.  One of those teachers who was allowed to (and apparently frequently did) throw the board rubber at naughty students.  I noticed the dressing table in my Grandad’s house when we were moving him out to a flat in my late teens.  It was in poor condition but my Dad did it up for me and I have had it ever since.  Not sure if it will fit in the van but it may.  If not I will need to find it a home – maybe with my girls.  Apart from furniture there is a heap of other stuff to go.  Books ( I am allowing myself 10 as I have a kindle); DVDs (I will watch and store online); clothes (will need to cut down by half at least); kitchenware and so it goes on.  There will be several trips to the charity shop and the local tip over the next few weeks I am sure.

It is now very tempting to start living in the future….  But I must remember to live in the present.  Things can still go wrong, get held up or not happen at all.  It will take a couple of months at least to go through – although having no chain will help considerably!  Just (just lol) one buyer to buy one house. In the meantime life goes on for me and my girls.

Patience and living in the present

Bin bag city

Well I am fast getting rid of loads of “stuff”. It appears that my house is / was full of all sorts of things that were never used / never appreciated. I am on a mission to get rid of clutter – to simplify my life. The things that I will keep will be extremely useful or extremely beautiful – preferably both. I don’t need all of these things…