“Clutter isn’t just the stuff in your closet.
It’s anything that gets between you and the life
that you want to be living.”
-Peter Walsh
I’ve often observed that in order to receive the things God has for us, we’ve needed to empty our hands to receive it. For Luke and I, this means letting go of things that no longer serve us. Sometimes it can also mean pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and leaning in to something that has an unknown outcome.
“Many times Luke and I have made decisions
that seemed crazy to the rest of the world.”
Many times Luke and I have made decisions that seemed crazy to the rest of the world. Why would we sell a successful business at the height of its success? Why would we risk everything in a real estate economy that could backslide at any moment? Luke and I love adventure and risk, but we also think it’s important to remind ourselves of our ultimate responsibility from time to time…our family. When your life is full of “stuff”, it’s easy to let clutter and noise drown out what’s really important.
We recently purchased a distressed property, and after the sale we realized it had an additional city lot that had been grandfathered in. We couldn’t believe we had actually purchased TWO lots with ONE house.This basically meant we could build a spec house on the second lot, without having to go through the process of splitting the lots. We went ahead and built a spec house on the second lot, intending to sell it for a profit, when we got an old familiar feeling.
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Some people might look at our beautiful 2500 square foot house and our acre of shady green land and think we had finally settled in to our forever home. But those who know us best realize that we used to buy and sell every two years. When housing is a business, it’s usually just a part of reality. But somehow, we stayed put for 7 years in this beauty. We actually measured our kids with little marks on the walls, like many normal families! This has been the only real place we have called HOME. It’s been a special time, and we’ve made good memories here.
“You know that moment when a new
possibility opens up and you get the urge
to jump into something new?”
As we finished up the spec home, we began to feel that familiar shift in our hearts. You know that moment when a new possibility opens up and you get the urge to jump into something new? This time, we knew that it was time to make a change and simplify our lives. Our kids are nearly grown and leaving the nest soon, so we decided to get back at it. It was time to move. Once we received an offer on our current house before even putting it on the market, we knew it was the right decision.
So, very soon, we will be moving from our 2500 sq. ft. home to one that is 1600 sq. ft. We will need to get rid of at least half of the things in our home, and streamline the other half. In fact, I’ve already started the process, and it feels gooooood.
If you’ve found yourself in a situation where you need to simplify, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Keep only what you LOVE. I have so many things that I just “like”. OUT it goes!
- Consolidate by room, and get rid of multiples. Why do I have 5 peppers in the spice cabinet? You know what I mean!
- Keep perspective. Remember this is just ‘stuff’ and you will be okay without it
