Minimalism

As we advance further into the twenty-first century, minimalism continues to gain popularity in décor, style and architectural schemes.  Millennials fight relentlessly to rid the world of clutter, confusion and complications.  They despise walls crowded with hangings that cover every square inch of available space.  They much prefer empty shelves over loaded curio cabinets.  The bare, clean look is in. 

This may not be my taste in decorating as much as it is in life, but I will say this.  Getting rid of clutter takes courage.  We live with far too many hitches, snags, anxieties, hang-ups and special considerations in our lives that do little else but restrict mobility and hamper productivity.  We carve out niches for this person, pockets for that kooky idea, nooks and crannies for favorite nuisances, concessions for otherwise impossible people and baggage rooms for problems that we can’t figure out how to solve (so we keep walking around them.)  What a relief to our bewilderedness when some courageous soul strides fearlessly into our lives and screams “Enough!  This is going, that’s history, and no more of something else!” We may feign protest, but secretly, we breathe, “Thank God!”  (Have you ever seen an estate sale?  When all is said and done, someone is going to come in and get rid of your clutter.  It’s not a pretty sight!)

There’s nothing like a good scare to force you to re-evaluate your priorities in life.  Gillian Mohney says, “An intense scare can do more than elicit a good scream; it can physically affect the body as the neurological system releases intense chemicals in response to a threat. For most the response to a fright is more or less harmless, with the body becoming primed to fight or flight its way out of a bad situation.”  abcnews.go.com. 

There’s one cliché I love and continue to use: “Cut to the chase!”  Get out your sword, your scissors, your utility knife and your wastebasket and start ridding yourself of time-wasters, problem-generators, redundant routines that accomplish little, and stressors that cause more aggravation than amity.  You can de-complicate your life if you try.  Simplify your existence.  Less is more.