I must be a “fraud”!

Journey, Minimalism, Motivation, Simplify 1 Minute

I think, I must be a fraud! There is no way I’m a minimalist!!

I just got back from visiting a new friend, a neighbour that moved in about two months ago.

I met her because she stopped over at my place to ask some questions about a couple of plants she had just bought (and just about killed already).

So what do I do? Well I just took it upon myself to get her a new healthy plant, and at the same time repotted her half dead ones in some pots I had at home! Her entrance area looks much more friendly now.

But let’s get back to the fact I’m a minimalist fraud…

As I delivered the plants, I got invited in. And yes, I know she had just moved inn after a newly divorce, so yes, I get that she might not have had all that much to start out with…  But her place was soooo minimalistic when it came to amount of furniture (some might say it was totally empty and bare), and soooo maximalistic when it came to empty space, and I loved it.

Upon entering my own place, I suddenly realised… I have a long way to go, before I’m a true minimalist…

Compared to most people, I’m doing pretty good on the minimalistic path. Comparing myself to my neighbour, I’m not sure I’m even a minimalist in training 😦

Thankfully, I don’t have to compare myself to anyone, this is not a competition 🙂  I know I have ways to go yet, before I’m where I want to be.

What I’m taking away from my visit to new friend, is the inspiration to continue to get rid off stuff, so that I might one day, end up with a place that gives me the same airy feeling, as I got when I stepped into her house.

So, it’s time to get cracking… again 😉

 

Published by Anne Lene @ MinimalistSometimes

Published

21 thoughts on “I must be a “fraud”!”

  5. Are we sure she isn’t just saving up to buy more stuff? 🙂 having just gone through a divorce and moving out myself, I can tell you I moved out with almost nothing.

    However, I totally know what you mean. Obviously it’s not a competition, but I get jealous of people that have huge open spaces and then I want to go home and get rid of everything.

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    1. I’m sure she will get more stuff as she settles in to her new place. But she did strike me as a person who will not buy more furniture until she need it… even though she did mumble something about making a good storage solution for her shoes..!!!

      The point for me wasn’t so much the fact she has “nothing”, as how her place made me realise I loved the airy feeling you get when you don’t have too much stuff. During my talk with her, I was mentioning how I was trying to declutter and “downsize” as part of a minimalist journey, and showing her my house (same day), made me realize I have quite a bit of ways to go, to get to her level of empty (regardless of if that is the level she wants or just have been forced into), which I really liked.

      As you are saying, her space made me want to go home and “get rid of everything” 😉

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  6. Yes, but is she a minimalist because she wants to be or because she’s forced into the situation? You’re striving for a lifestyle change which is difficult (but your’e trying!), you haven’t suddenly had your things whisked out from under you en masse, so that’s sort of an unfair comparison on yourself. But I do understand where you’re coming from. I do it to myself all of the time. But you’ll get there! And you are SUCH a great neighbor and a awesome person! I wish you were MY neighbor. 😀

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    1. I wish YOU were my neighbour too, I’m sure you would crack me up on a daily basis (at least your blog does ;-)), with all your fun comments.

      As I mentioned to howtobejillian, I don’t know if it is by choice or due to her situation. I suspect it’s her situation, even though she struck me as a person that would have a pretty minimalistic interior anyways. Regardless of reason for her airy space, I was feeling a bit “funny” showing her my house after having talked about “downsizing”, since my house is a “mess” of stufffffffff!

      We all have different levels of where we are with our stuff, and I’m happy with what I have accomplished so far. It’s just that… it’s time to step it up a notch, and get cracking again. I loved the feeling of empty space, and THAT is what I took away from a visit at her place. It just reinforced (and reminded) me of where I want to get to!

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  7. Yesterday, I walked around opening drawers and cabinets to remind myself how far we’ve come ~> our space has more space now than it did before.

    Progress . . . not perfection!

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    1. Totally agree, progress… not perfection! Not an easy thing to do for a ultra perfectionist as I am 😉 My progress have been small the last few months (like non existing) and seeing her house was like a kick in my pants.. to get my butt back into it 😉

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  10. You should definitely see my apartment. You’d leave feeling very good about yourself and your minimalist abilities. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to stay very long because inside my apartment it’s not actually possible to breathe in. We have to keep popping outside every few seconds so we have enough space to fill our lungs. 🙂

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    1. lol, that sound just about like my guestroom right now. I walk in there to clear some stuff up, and I walk right out again because there is no room to “move” 😉 Now, I should probably explain why my guest room is like that, but you will have to wait for my next post for that 😉

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