Clean House, Clean Mind, Clean Life
A few months ago, I decided to change my life.
I quit my job, I left my flat and my friends and my three-year-long relationship, and I bought a ticket to Thailand.
As I began my travel preparations, I suddenly faced my first challenge: Where the hell am I going to keep all my stuff?
In my apartment, there was an old upright piano, boxes full of notebooks and “important” paperwork, two closets full of clothes, a wall of shelves full of books I would never read again, and a million other pretty things — my pretty things.
But my mind was set, and this change was needed. I set myself the challenge to fit all my belongings in a 40-liter backpack and started the biggest spring-clean of my life.
It took me some time to understand that stuff is just stuff. I learned that my mom won’t stop loving me if I toss the purse she made for me when I was 17 (which I kept in a dusty cupboard ever since), and that I don’t need 14 different kinds of kitchen knives. I came to a liberating conclusion: I don’t really need anything. I can choose what I own.
At some point, this process became a pleasure. I loved the empty space left by the things I gave away. The less I had, the more I cherished the few things I kept: I could finally admire that beautiful painting on my living room…
