How in the world did this happen?
Why are we so blessed?
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If some of the things that have happened to us are beyond our control, how should we respond?
If they are blessings? Gifts of grace?
If we have done nothing to earn it...
If we can take no credit for it...
Then what shall I do with it?
No reason to be arrogant or conceited if I didn't earn this blessing.
I can't really be proud of it. I can't brag about it.
But I can be thankful.
I can receive it as the gift that it is.
And so I do.
I often pause to feel my gratitude.
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And what about those other things?
The ones that we DID work hard to accomplish...
The conscious decisions that we made...
The steps we took...
The sacrifices we made...
Yes, I guess I can be proud of those.
They didn't come naturally and they didn't come easily.
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Before we started this process, I may have believed that minimalism is easy for some people. And since it did not seem easy or natural for me, I may have even believed that it was not possible for me.
But then I came across these lines from Vincent Nguyen, a fellow Tribe Writer, in a guest post at "becoming minimalist." He listed many objections that people offer - including this one: "Minimalism is easy for you. It’s your personality to live with less. But that’s not me!"
Vincent says:
Though there may be some truth in that statement, it’s certainly not all personality. Minimalism is a conscious decision to pursue less. Many of us have made it and almost none of us had it completely easy.
I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide, 'I’m going to be minimalist!' For me, it happened through a series of realizations and struggles. A lot of thinking and sacrifices took place.
I didn’t decide to love less because of my personality. I decided to live with less because I saw value in it. There may be some people out there who desire less since birth, but they are a small minority. The rest of us struggled through it. Eventually, we thanked ourselves for doing so.
Vincent was describing us. It had happened gradually - "through a series of realizations and struggles." Yes, a series. A process. His last line really caught my attention...
The rest of us struggled through it.
Eventually,
WE THANKED OURSELVES
for doing so.
I was intrigued by the idea of thanking ourselves. We can thank ourselves? That caught me off guard, but then I thought, "Hey, why not?"
I guess we can. We can thank ourselves for being willing to even consider this process.
We can thank each other for being sensitive and compassionate about the tough choices.
We can thank me for coming to a place where I was willing to let go of the place that has been in my family for three generations. And to let go of the heirloom china cabinet from four generations on the other side of my family.
I can thank Bob for his patience with me in the midst of all of those agonizing decisions - both the big dramatic ones AND the thousands of little bitty ones.
I can definitely thank him for his hard work in hauling our stuff from the big house to the storage shed and then to wherever they all ended up going.
I can also thank him for his good example of keeping things current - which is absolutely vital as we live in smaller spaces now.
We can thank each other for the diligence and persistence to keep at the task for all these years - box by box, shelf by shelf, bin by bin.
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But you know what? It's not just the two of us.
There are so many others who have helped us in this process - some from a distance and some nearby. I don't suppose we could have done this without the support of others - which came in various forms.
There was the friend who taught me at the beginning of this process that we have far more than "things" by which to remember our loved ones. And other friends who have reinforced that concept and who have reassured me in so many ways.
There was the friend who pointed out that we did have assets that we could make use of. For example; we COULD sell the farm. And yes, even though we were not yet willing to consider it at that moment, the seed was planted.
There are so many friends who by encouragement and example have helped to open our eyes - not only to the possibility but also to the value of a simpler life and freedom from so much stuff.
There are the friends in my support group who have been so quick to encourage me to keep going in the midst of big projects, to pick me up when I felt defeated or exhausted, to remind me of truth when I couldn't see past my frustration, to correct my perspective when necessary, and to simply offer kind compassionate pats on the back.
There are friends who have given me books and other resources that have been helpful in my re-training myself.
And there are friends who have offered a new home for some of my cherished possessions that I just couldn't abandon.
I say thank you to each of those friends.
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And besides these dear friends, there are also those who don't even know us, but who have helped us on this journey. There are the bloggers and the authors who have contributed to our education. I am currently grateful for Joshua Becker at "becoming minimalist" because his regular posts have reminded me of many of the reasons why we have been making these tough decisions. And he continually offers tools and resources to help with the process. He and others like him have helped us understand the reasons for living a simpler life.
Our purpose for downsizing is not to deprive ourselves. To the contrary, it has been to make room for the things that really matter. We wouldn't have voluntarily chosen to let go of so many GOOD things if not to make space for the BEST.
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Yes, I am happy to give thanks - to and for all of those who have helped us make this transition.
Thank you. All of you.
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Continue with the next post...
...or see the entire series here.
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