Category: Essays

We all know that the minimalist pool of possessions is limited to only the things we use on a regular basis, the things that we value. Things, such that ownership of these things is necessary to use these things at the capacity we wish to. Therein lies the two factors that determine exactly that the size of our possession pool is going to be: Value and accessibility (or availability).

You see, there are all kinds of minimalists out there. Some live in apartments, some live in houses, some have multiple vehicles, some have none, some live in the city, some are country folk. But what they all have in common is that fact that they use everything that they own. That is what makes them minimalists. What makes the quantity of their possessions vary greatly from one minimalist to the next, is the fact that they have wildly different values. Also, their accessibility to the tools and resources needed to serve those values is a huge factor too.

 

Example: One minimalist has a passion for re-building classic muscle cars. Well in order to facilitate this passion this person would have to have a large space (usually a garage) where they could conduct their work. They would also have to have a plethora of tools to be able to carry out the re-building process. Oh, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous car parts. This passion, this value, demands tremendous “overhead.”

On the other hand a minimalist that has a passion for writing would not require so much overhead. Their work is more digital than anything else, and everything they need can be stored on their laptop computer.

Does this make Mr Mechanic any less of a minimalist then Mr Shakespeare? Of course not.

 

Example: One minimalist may live in the deep country. On the top of a mountain, at least 45 min from the nearest grocery store. As a result this person really “stocks up” during the once a month trip to the grocery store. They even have a giant freezer they keep in the cellar to hold giant slabs of beef, chicken, and pork. Big enough to be well stocked for the month and even longer in case access is cut off (natural disaster, snow storm, you never know in the country). This person has adapted well to their environment, and chosen to save a tremendous amount of time by not grocery shopping every week (like most of us do).

Another minimalist may live in a heavily populated city. They pass three different grocery stores on their ten minute walk from their job to their apartment. “Stocking up” is not only completely unnecessary, but an unnecessary drain on their resources (electricity and space), so they don’t even own a refrigerator. They eat their food fresh off the stand from the farmers market located just below their apartment. If they need frozen preserved food, the frozen food section in the grocery store next to the farmers market IS their refrigerator. This person has the accessibility to not require home food preservation and storage.

 

So a minimalist is not measured by the size of their possession pool, but instead by how they spend their time. Are they spending their time with intention toward a valuable end, or are the working toward a vague or unfulfilling end (just playing “Follow the leader”  their whole life).

 

Ushering a child into a minimalist lifestyle can be tough. I also believe that the method used for one child, might not work for another child. So with that being said, I can only describe the method we used (my wife and I) to enforce this lifestyle with our daughter.

Let me start by saying that I do not believe that the material possession limitations for children are the same as that for an adult. Since the world is new to them, and they’re still discovering, they tend to be more appreciative of all the gifts they get. As adults we’ve “been there and done that,” so we don’t hold as much value in Christmas Mug we got as a present from our aunt Jinny. Whereas my daughters eyes glow at the smallest insignificant trinket of a gift. It’s not so insignificant to her, just to me and my wife. As a result, a child’s supply of things (toys …. to be honest) is going to be larger than an adults. This brings us to rule 1:

 

1. Do not purge the child’s toys based on how we asses their value, but how the child assesses their value.

 

This cannot be done by merely asking the child if they wouldn’t mind getting rid of a certain toy (chosen at random), as they would no doubt say something similar to “NO daddy, I want it!” Instead we can asses how much a child values a toy by having a general idea of how often they even use the toy. For those toys that are seldom (if ever) used, put them aside for purging.

Ah, but we cannot just dispose of them yet, under their nose like that, as there is still a chance they will notice. This is a common mistake that risks losing the child’s trust, and if that happens we will never be able to get the child to fall in line with minimizing. So:

 

2. Get the child’s permission to dispose the toy.

 

Sounds impossible eh. Consider this. Since the child is not playing much with the toy, their concern is not that they will no longer be playing with the toy, but that the toy is being discarded. The concern is for the toy itself, not for the time they spend with it. Re-assure the child that the toy is going to be used and valued for another purpose, and then of course follow through with that purpose. In our case, we tell our daughter that since she doesn’t use it very much the toy will belong to another child that will love it and play with it a lot more than she does; a child that doesn’t have as many toys as she does. Then we either take it to consignment, donate it to a charity, or give it to a friends child. Our daughter has always responded positively to this.

 

Now my four year old daughter comes up to my wife all the time with a toy in hand and says “Mommy, we can midimize (not a typo) this toy mommy. Give it to the poor kids.”

I’m so proud.

 

Everything in our world is in a constant state of flux. The reality around us is changing; technology is changing, fashions are changing, lifestyles are changing, family structures are changing, EVERYTHING IS CHANGING. Don’t blink, because you will miss it. This is an undisputed fact of life. As a result, we as people must adapt to these changes in order to stay current, be marketable, and ultimately to survive.

Being minimalists, we are in an ideal position to embrace this fact of life, and adjust to it. This is one of the beautiful things about living a life free of clutter and distraction; one can quickly transition to rid them self of outdated material, and incorporate something new in their life without having to take the time to clear space for it (mental, physical, and calendar space). The transition is unfettered.

With that being said, whatever our values are, I propose that we add “embrace change” to that list. By adding this to our list of values, we allow ourselves the flexibility to swap out, and swap in, other potential values to and from that list. Because make no mistake, there most likely will come a time when some of the things in life that we value will become obsolete, or be taken from us.

 

Example: In the early 1900’s America there were a plethora of proud business owners that were embracing the American dream and opened up their own pub. They were a proud people, and they took great joy in providing a service where the townsfolk could come visit them in merriment at the end of their work day and kick back a few suds while sharing laughs and tales.

Then prohibition passed.

Those bar owners that had “embrace change” on their value lists handled this much easier, and probably had a plan-B lined up. Those that didn’t were likely in a state of denial and rendered themselves obsolete.

 

Come to think of it, “embrace change” is the only item on our list of values that is fixed, other than the three core values of course (read my book). All other items are swappable.