Knowing When to Stop
In the initial fury and excitement of removal, there is only hope for the future. There is not a thought for what could be essential, and in fact these thoughts are encouraged to be suppressed. Not to say that pause should be given in the pairing down of things, but thought is nonetheless crucial. For no one is attempting to reach a barren state where all that is liked and loved is gone, but merely a state of simplification that calms and provides refuge from a world so distanced from untroubled times. But with sufficient thought put to the chaos of removal, the future can be as it is hoped to be: your life at a state of fewer things and more time for the truly needed.
The novelty of minimalism is as intoxicating as it is addicting. To see the closet floor and the walls behind old shelves can provoke a further frenzy leading to great trash bags by the door. This trash bag is a dear thing to those who pursue removal, but it is easy to fill these once emotions holding you back are lost and muscle memory kicks in. I found myself there and now find myself at the result of such excitement. Before, I had too many clothes, many of them frequently unworn. I stopped thinking about it and got rid of them. Sadly, I didn’t know where to stop. Clothes not worn in the last week and a half were pried by a suspicious eye. Were they in the dreaded “excess”? So I figured if I was asking they were, and so they were donated, along with those no-longer-needed hangers.
Now I am here and I own only clothes most loved. If you cited past writings of mine I would, no doubt, argue myself. It seems like a situation once thought ideal, wherein everything worn is a favorite. Sadly worn favorites soon wear. The first month is ideal. Then the most loved become the banalities of the wardrobe: an anaerobic system as nothing can shift in to be the new favorite. So for this it becomes, while counter intuitive for the freshly initiated minimalist, important to keep around not just the most loved, but the merely liked as well. Without a cycle, stagnation of things will occur. This is really even worse than owning a few more things. A stagnated life doesn't constitute a living.
All this difficulty being said, the fix is as simple as any: think. Don’t let the clouds of excitement blind you completely. As I’ve said before, don’t pause on every item and wax nostalgic and imagine the eventualities of something being needed; rather, take care not to purge some of your life while purging clutter. Keep the things you love and like and most importantly, know when to stop.
