It's Funny...

...that even though I've bought exactly one book this year and I've gone through my bookshelves at least five or six times to weed out the things I'm willing to get rid of, I still managed to find twenty books to part with today.

Twenty!

I checked to see if they were worth selling, and listed seven or eight. The rest go in the goodwill bag. The same thing happens in my closet...I put another shirt in the bag yesterday. Granted, I tried it on and realized it's not flattering, so that helped me part with it. But I also threw in about five more items when I went through the closet this morning. I'm not brining in items to replace the old stuff, I'm just more willing to part with things every time I go through them.

I've come up with two explanations-one, I am slowly embracing the minimalist lifestyle, so it's easier to get rid of things as time passes. I used to love seeing my two full bookshelves in my bedroom (both are taller than me), but today I thought, "I wonder if I could get down to just one bookshelf in my room." This is a total change in how I used to feel about my books. The second reason is more simple. Everytime I go through my stuff there are items I pause and think about getting rid of, but then think, "No, maybe I'll read/wear that again. I'll wait." Then the next time around I see the item hasn't been used and I'm more willing to part with it.

Either way, it's nice to clean out my shelves and closet. I still have plenty of clothes and books (and I probably always will), but the less is more philosophy is making my room less cluttered, and for that I am thankful.