So, I’m giving another shot to this whole blog process for a number of reasons. First off, I want to be a better writer. You write in college and in school, and your writing gets judged, edited, you move forward. I’ve always been in advanced writing classes, but I feel like my creative writing has never been pushed and satisfied. My Dad wouldn’t say this, but somehow being categorized as smart and funny as a kid (my brother was the artistic and sporty one) kind of kept me focused on those two aspects of myself. I have friends that are extremely creative and would love to allow myself to be so too.

The other reason I want to start writing again is that I’ve been doing tons of research on topics like minimalism, toxic-free living, intentional communities, self-sufficiency, conflict resolution, anti-racism, feminism, and so much more. Sometimes, the answers to the questions I pose are easy to find, but so many times I can only find snippets of an answer.

Take this weekends research question as an example:

How do I organize and minimize my paper and my mementos (photo’s, news clippings, awards) to have only what’s essential?

I go to some sites, and they are more of your Martha Steward types that want you to keep everything, have big houses where you store your crap you don’t use, and wear mom jeans. It’s not de-cluttering if you just keep crap. A lot of the minimalist sites don’t necessarily mention what to do with these items either. How do you go through all of the pictures and keep what’s necessary? My goal is to be able to be mobile with what I have. If I have mementos and pictures, I want them to add to my life. If I’m taking pictures of my family, of kids, how can I capture the pictures so they can look at them in the future? Do the people who live in Tiny Houses, and who supposedly have more expansive lives because of their living situation, have a closet full of scrapbooks?

I want to answer some of these questions, and document my process for those who are interested in living a more minimalist lifestyle. I also want to share what works well from me, what interesting research I’ve found, and more. Last, I’d love to connect with others who are interested in deeper and more simple living, so that we can learn from each other, and support one another.

I’m going to go room by room, clutter zone by clutter zone and share the craziness with you. I know there are others out there who also have this level of clutter, so let’s connect! Here will be my process:

Weeks 1 & 2: Paper (important documents, research, magazines)

Weeks 3 & 4: Mementos (Paper, old letters, tickets, etc)

My goals :

• Non-toxic/ Environmentally friendly solutions (including minimizing most uses of plastic)
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
• End goal of items that are kept, are useful, organized, and easy to maintain

More goals may be added or described in more detail as I get knee- deep in the process. But it’s always good to start somewhere.