simple living

A few years ago, my husband and I committed to living more simply. He read a book called "Simplify", written by a leader in the minimalist movement. It inspired us both to own less stuff.

In the next few weeks, we threw away or donated anything that wasn't beautiful, purposeful or sentimental. We scaled down our kitchen, keeping only the utensils and appliances that we actually use on a daily or monthly basis. We took down decorations on the wall that were put up simply because we felt like we had to, and instead, left blank walls. We had a small kitchen table and white comforter with white pillows. It felt refreshing to get rid of stuff and organize.

Two years later and we were still downsizing. But this time, we took a dramatic step. We went from 1600 square feet house to 760 square foot apartment.

And, I'm going to be honest - this journey to a simple life hasn't been terribly difficult until now.

We threw away so much of our stuff when we moved from our house. I wept when I saw a pile of our things on the curbside as we pulled away from our house for the last time. Perhaps I was more attached to our things than I would have liked.

But I'm learning about simple living, like the importance of tidying up after myself because messes multiply in a smaller environment. And I really don't miss that vase or book case that I kept at our house for years because I was afraid to throw them away.

It hasn't been easy, but really, it's actually been totally worth it.