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Things are as they are, not as they should be!

How I became an Accidental Minimalist

This is not how I started.

After marriage, when KG and I set up our first home, it was super special. We were on our own and wanted to have everything that would make it our world.  I remember how we changed the bare walls and empty spaces of a house to a fully functional, happy and cozy home.

In the materialistic society that we live in, there is often an invisible push to buy the latest and coolest gadgets, trendy clothes, and bigger and better things. And we were no different. In fact, I love all the things in my home and am quite proud of it. And why not, we have worked hard to accumulate every single thing in our home.

And then pandemic came in our world and it brought a change in our attitude towards life.

With so much of uncertainty and unexpected ‘extra time’, there was room to reflect on what is truly essential for life. One thing became very clear to me that one can survive (rather live well) with very little. And yes, ‘less is truly more’.

A slight change in our attitude can completely change how we feel and live our life.

I have not read any books on minimalism, such as those written by Marie Kondo, (though I have it on my Kindle) nor have I gone through online resources on the subject. My decision to adopt minimalism was not deliberate or premeditated. It was a necessity.

How I became an Accidental Minimalist

During the pandemic, there was a drive by NGOs to donate food, clothes, essentials to those in need.

I started with those cute little bottles of shampoo and shower gels, moisturizers and soap bars that I brought back from my stays in hotels due to work travel.

My dark secret? I always stuff these toiletries in my bag when I am checking out of the hotel room. And this is when I don’t use them, neither in the hotel nor once at home. But I have a dedicated drawer for these handmade soap bars and shampoos made from exotic ingredients.

Then I moved on to my clothes. While sorting the cupboards, I realized that I had so many clothes which were not worn for years!! Some had sentimental value attached to them, some I believed, I would fit in one day, AGAIN!! While there are some clothes which no longer suited my dressing sensibilities.

I started by decluttering my physical belongings, getting rid of things I no longer needed or used.

As I cleared out my space, I found that I felt lighter and more at peace. This led me to explore minimalism further and embrace it as a lifestyle. Now, I’m much more intentional about what I bring into my life, from the clothes I wear to the activities I participate in.

Minimalism has allowed me to focus on the things that truly matter in my life and let go of the rest, and I’m grateful for the peace and clarity it has brought me.

And that’s how I became an accidental minimalist.

Join me as I learn and explore about minimalism this April.

11 Responses

  1. Hey Shilpa, how have you been? I hope you are doing great.

    Less is more. I have a t-shirt with this message on it…. a message that was brought to us by the universe during the pandemic. Life suddenly changed and we too realised we needed to change the way we viewed life and the world around us. We let go of stuff we didn’t need, as well as people who drained our energy. We now have things that we need to survive and people who add value to our world, people who matter and to whom we matter. Minimalism is our way of life now.
    Looking forward to reading your posts on minimalism this month, Shilpa. 🙂

  2. Lovely.. am a minimalist who started her journey when she’d moved out of family home to live on her own.. i was never into material things and over the yrs have weaned down to just essentials.

    Live life Queen size but with not much in terms if material possessions

  3. What a blissful feeling it is, when you declutter, right? I totally get you, Shilpa when you say how light you feel. I must also add light and liberating, because that was what I felt each time I gave things away.

    What a lovely theme for the AtoZ Challenge, Shilpa! Looking forward to reading your posts.

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