So… I have a tendency towards random ponders. Kristen flattered me in asking for my ponders
on minimalism, Thanks, Kristen!
My name is Denise. I
am a Social Worker, wife, mother, outdoor adventurer, volunteer and several
other adjectives. I have been married for
almost 25 years this year. We live in
the “wilderness” of Northeast Kansas. It
is gorgeous country to me and I love living here. My wonderful husband, Marcus, designed our
home. We live here with our awesome son,
Marek, who is 13 years old. I love the
outdoors and enjoy gardening, hiking, wogging, kayaking, camping, motorcycling
and a few indoor things as well! I also
love listening to Marcus and Marek play music and talk baseball.
I think minimalism applies to all of life – possessions,
habits, scheduling, goal setting etc. I
love the idea of minimizing possessions and would happily minimize several
gajillion as well as a few habits, however, when you are in a family you must
compromise!! The idea of minimalism is
likely implemented more effectively when you are single, newly married or have
talked minimalism over thoroughly to determine how you each stand on the
issue. The desire to minimize also
appears to suddenly kick in when you are planning to move or retire!
Our family has succeeded in compromising on possessions for
the most part. I am less sentimental
than the guys. They each have long
memories and tend towards the nostalgic.
Sometimes this is frustrating to me and my heartlessness towards
nostalgia is frustrating to them! It is
an active process to compromise for the good of our living space.
We are a very active
family. Marek participates in a wide variety of
activities and so do we. We balance our
individual activities and our family activities. For Marcus and me, much of our time is spent
on Marek’s activities. From academics at
school to 4H meetings and church activities, we support, encourage, sponsor,
coach, lead, transport and hang out with Marek and his friends. We enjoy all of these activities with him and
for him. We work to minimize and manage the
schedule so that we have family time and so that we each have time for our
individual interests and hobbies. We also
try to fit in some couple time.
The thing is, I love being busy with things that I love
doing. Usually the guys feel the
same. The big trick for me is not
necessarily to minimize, but to manage our interests and activities. It’s hard because even doing things you love
can become a serious drag without down time or “free choice” time, time to go
with the flow. THIS randomly brings me
to my other random thoughts about life!
I think that the MOST important thing is attitude! A positive attitude that is! It seems so simplistic but seriously, staying positive about pretty much
everything makes it all better! Minimize
doing things that you don’t like to do if possible. Everything else deserves a positive
attitude. After all, we have all chosen
to do the things we do and to have the things we have. If you don’t like it, you can change it! If you don’t like it and can’t change it then
change your attitude about it! If the
change involves compromise then be willing!
Cultivate a positive attitude about it and all those involved. This sounds simple, but of course, it is
difficult to stay positive when things get tough. It is hard work but it’s worth it. I refuse to go through life disgruntled,
dissatisfied or unhappy with my usual fare.
If at all possible, stay focused on the good things in your life and
minimize those things that aren’t working.
Having a positive attitude about things in your life will make a
difference and will impact the others in your life. Perhaps this is my form of minimalism, I am
working to minimize negativism and to embrace the positive. And you know what? It really works!!
Caveat: Negativism is not the same as sadness. It doesn’t minimize the standard range of
emotions. You still feel negative emotions but you choose a positive response
to these feelings instead of allowing yourself to go down the path of
negativity. Just say no to malicious
gossip, selfishness, anger and revenge!
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