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Sounds like a simple question doesn’t it ~ How many is too much? Angelina asked me this question yesterday about children’s toys and my response was ~ There is no definite answer, but for me their indoor toys should be able to be tucked away neatly in their own bedrooms when they aren’t being played with. If they are overflowing into all the living spaces as well then there is just too much.

You will notice among the words in my response were two small words ~ for me. Although I feel you can spoil your children by giving them too much or anything it is not up to anyone else to decide what is too much. That is your decision, but think wisely.

The same goes for anything in your home. I have three pairs of kitchen tongs is that too much. For some people yes, for me no. Quite often all three of those tongs are in the dishwasher at the same time so clearly I use them. If only one pair was ever used at any given time and I kept the other two just in case one day I have a house full of people and need three pairs, then yes three would be too many. Could I cope with one pair? Of course I could but I don’t choose to. If one pair broke would I replace it, probably not.

I have one bottle of perfume is that too few? Some women would think so because they like to mix it up a little, something floral one day, something oriental the next. Some may even think I am very unsophisticated for this. I care little about their opinion because one is enough for me. I am sure also that they would have the same opinion of me because I only use one handbag and it doesn’t match all my shoes. Once again, I don’t care. I find life simpler with less choice.

Someone else may only have two towels, two pair of shoes, one set of sheets but a display cabinet full of china handed down form a relative long passed. So what, minimalism is one thing to one person and something else to another. It is not up to anyone to decide what you care about and what you don’t, what is too much and what is too few.

Anyone reading my blog is here because they want to reduce what they own in order to free themselves of the restrictions that clutter can cause. Space restrictions, time restrictions, cash flow restrictions etc. Having the intention to declutter will set you in the right direction, then I am sure you are all capable of deciding in what areas you want to reduce and by how much. As momentum takes over you may get more adventurous but that is up to you. Be an individual and do it your way.

Today’s Declutter Item

I am pretty sure that if I hung these towels in our bathroom my husband would say ” Why are we using these old things?” WE have since moved on to thicker more luxurious towel which rotate regularly through our bathroom. These can go to thrift store where someone not so fussy as us will likely be happy to have them.





Gratitude

Instead of my usual list of things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome today I leave you with this poem from The Kitchn.com. In its simplicity it exemplifies how if you take your time to feel and see what is around you at any given moment you will realise there is plenty to be grateful for in life.

Today my pear at breakfast was perfect, so very ripe and juicy and scented sweet. And although a pear is just an ordinary thing, still I felt a little spike of pleasure when I spooned it into my mouth along with some yogurt and honey. There was pleasure, too, that I had this quiet time to notice the pear and the way the morning light was washing into the room where I sat on the floor with my back up against the wall. Without their wooly slippers, my bare feet were getting cold but I stayed there in that moment of pear delight until the whole bowl was licked clean. An ordinary pleasure, a simple moment.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.



