This week we were featured in an interview on Minimalism is Simple. Please go visit the site. Wonderful things are happening there! Aly and Denise do a great job of explaining and assisting people who want to minimize their lives.
So…I’ve been thinking this week, and that usually means trouble. : ) I thought about where we fit in the scheme of the minimize, downsize, small-scale movement. I hate to call it a movement because people have been talking about and doing this for centuries. I recently went back to some of the books and literature we used when we decided to consciously live small. (I’ll talk about those more in future posts.) And I noticed that they use books, articles and ideas from many years in their past. Then I began to wonder what it would take to make this a large-scale influence~or to even stop talking about it as a movement and just live it. I wouldn’t consider us minimal; we are small. And that is even debatable by some. I believe the attitude is the most important thing. The quality of life we have, while we live how we do.
Whether you consider yourself a minimalist, a smallist, or a “some time in the future I’ll do it ‘ist”, I believe we are all striving for the same thing~simplicity and calmness. Living small can do that for you. I guess that’s what we are about.
So, go to Aly and Denise’s site Minimalism is Simple, but don’t forget to come back to see what Shiny Tiny Mansion is up to.
Until then, live small and prosper,
~Sue
PS. Got our first snow of the season this week ~ BRRRR!
I look forward to seeing what books you are reading on the subject of downsizing/minimizing. There are a number of sources that I have been reading from on the web and in print. Lots of viewpoints on the topic from the highly academic to the “let’s just wing it” sort. Most are pretty interesting and well-written. I believe there is a sort of person that chooses to move away from the mainstream style of living and toward a more custom and peaceful way of life. They (we) tend to be attentive to what we actually need rather than just putting up with what we get. We are more interested in finding the right fit for our life rather than just fitting our lives to what is available. Many parts of our homes and lives are specifically and consciously chosen rather than just accepting “whatever.” Each choice entails a lot of thought and, therefore, tends to write up quite well!
I look forward to reading your featured article!
Cheers!
Matthew
Thanks Mathew,
I think you really hit it on the head with the idea of living a conscious lifestyle beyond our instant desires. If we just stop to think sometimes about how much and how long we will enjoy a new toy, maybe we would slow down a little and just enjoy life. Amazing how people have been talking about a simpler life since at least the 1800’s. I look at life as a good design – it’s never really finished or perfect, but half the fun is trying to get there 😉
Thanks for taking the time to write!
Ron
I like your term: “smallist”. That describes me. Minimalism holds no practical appeal. I don’t want lots of stuff, but my life is better because of the stuff I do have. I also know my house could be a little smaller, but I was in another house recently and it was very claustrophobic. It was bigger than mine, but all the rooms were so tiny. I need a little space.
Congratulations on the interview, by the way.
Hey Jason,
We totes agree! We are not about living in a micro trailer even though that may be fine for many. AS we get older, the idea of having less is great but we don’t want to climb into a loft with a ceiling inches from your nose and call it a bedroom, LOL. Open plans definitely make a space feel larger. I never did understand why older homes had a dozen tiny rooms instead of 4 nice big ones! Maybe because our families were more extended back then? Let’s call us a Smallist Movement!!!
Thanks for writing!
Ron