{"id":10402,"date":"2015-05-15T18:01:45","date_gmt":"2015-05-15T22:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=10402"},"modified":"2015-05-15T18:01:45","modified_gmt":"2015-05-15T22:01:45","slug":"simplify-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2015\/05\/simplify-2.html","title":{"rendered":"simplify"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tiny<\/a>\u00a0I’m enamoured of tiny houses. My dream is that I will someday be able to fit my entire belongings into 1\/s of a tiny house, w\/ my beloved paring his down, as well. Every thing we own would be a well-loved piece, one with intrinsic value, and\/or useful.<\/p>\n

The house might just be 3 ‘rooms’ — a living\/dining\/cooking area; a sleeping area; a bathroom. That’s it. Three rooms, and only the best-loved accoutrements.<\/p>\n

‘Declutter’ is the word on trend. But I tend to think of it as an ongoing process in my life: simplification. Trying to find good homes for the many possessions I still own that trail context & meaning behind them like kite tails. The two tea sets my grandmother painted by hand. My mother-in-law’s pressed glass plates & bowls. YARDS of linens, even after giving away tablecloths & napkins & runners & more.<\/p>\n

I want space — as much space as time. And it takes one (time) to create the other. But space also feeds time: it’s a recursive process. The fewer material objects I have to care for, the more time I have to do what’s important (NOT clean & dust!).<\/p>\n

There’s a book I read recently, on the ‘life-changing magic’ of simplifying your life. It’s not the first of its genre — not even the 1st I’ve read. But it came at a time when I was more than ready: a time when I felt (as I do periodically) overwhelmed w\/\u00a0stuff<\/em>. Too many things w\/ meaning — what happens after a life full of generous friends & family. Too many teapots, too many quilts, too much silver… Just tooooo much.<\/p>\n

So I’m ‘decluttering.’ Or simplifying. I want to have only things I adore in my house, on my desk. I don’t know what to do w\/ the rest of it, but I’m pretty sure solutions (and I suspect there will be more than one!) will turn up. As I give away books and clothes I’ll never wear again, jewellery that doesn’t fit my lifestyle (and probably never did!), I’m feeling as if weight is dropping off me. Literally: a pound here, a kilo there. It’s exhilarating.<\/p>\n

Tiny(er?) house, here I come. Now I just have to figure out how to convince my beloved… \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0I’m enamoured of tiny houses. My dream is that I will someday be able to fit my entire belongings into 1\/s of a tiny house, w\/ my beloved paring his down, as well. Every thing we own would be a well-loved piece, one with intrinsic value, and\/or useful. The house might just be 3 ‘rooms’…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[576,1011,1],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1013,1308,1014,1012,1015],"class_list":["post-10402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everyday-living","category-simple-life","category-uncategorized","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-declutter","tag-everyday-living","tag-simple-life","tag-simplification","tag-tiny-houses"],"yoast_head":"\nsimplify - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0I'm enamoured of tiny houses. 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