Years ago, when I first heard of the concept of minimalist living it seemed it must be for other people. 

You know, THOSE people.

People who didn’t value their things and could easily live with less.

Non-sentimental people.

I imagined those people wouldn’t miss the stuff they got rid of.

It was easy for them. They must just wired that way.

And I also thought those people must not live a very rich life, not having deep connections to any inherited items or simply a flippant response to owning things or having what they need at hand.

Kind of a disposable outlook, I assumed. 

I guess I also thought that minimalist people must be very boring… they must not have hobbies or certainly could not be artistic, since that requires a menagerie of art supplies!

Hmmm…

Minimalism has been a long journey for me. Mostly between the ears.

Where did it start for me?

My collections of useful and beautiful things had become cumbersome.

I really grew tired of apologizing for my stuff, and moving things around that didn’t have a place, so they felt like clutter.

And even though they were stuff of value, I was embarrassed at times when my piles overflowed into our living spaces.

My delay in dealing with certain boxes or old chapters of life was getting old, and I was tired of my own excuses!

Enter minimalism.

(And if you’re not ready to jump off the deep end and donate all your earthly possessions, don’t worry, me neither. But if you’re interested in how YOU might make improvements in your own outlook on stuff, keep reading)

As I’ve explored the concept and followed the logical, gentle guidance of well-known minimalist influencers, I began making small changes. Small steps in the right direction over a period of a few years. I found it does become easier as momentum builds.

But even with the best of intentions, old habits often die hard.

Here’s the juicy part…

I failed with a BIG present, in a BIG way, on a BIG birthday.

My husband Jason had spent several hours over many weeks curating a collection of (digital) photos that we gave to our son Zack as he moved out of our house.

Truly memorable photos from all our cameras and phones, selected from over 14 years of our blended family. Mostly of Zack since he was 5 and Brooke from birth to 5.

We uploaded the collection to a digital frame and it was a lovely gift for our fledgling son. He really enjoys it.

So wait, that was not where my gift-giving blunder happened.

Jason had a milestone birthday approaching, and I remembered that Shutterfly has free photo prints, all you pay is shipping when you use the app! What better thing could I give him than something to build on his hours of sorting and curating the family memory pics? Plus, he would have photos of his adorable kids to look at? Photos of years and years of fun things we did and goofy pics we took…

1,200 prints of them.

Trust me, that many photos weigh a ton!

It was April, and we were right in the middle of packing boxes and loading PODS for moving from Florida to Tennessee, and every box was getting weightier. Even though we had given/sold a bunch of stuff, it felt like our possessions were going to tumble and suffocate us.

That was the state of our lives, and I ordered a HUGE box of HEAVY photos.

Jason looked at me perplexingly as I smiled so proudly when he opened the gift. His comment was something like “I thought you were making decisions that work toward minimalism”

Gift-giving fail.

Not completely, of course.

I can still upload the digital pics to a frame like we did for Zack, but the old habit of valuing printed photos jumped right in there when I saw the sweet deal on printing. 

And I’ll be quick to add that Jason forgave me after we talked it through. He gave me grace for this misstep out of my intended goals.

Grace.

We have to give it to ourselves too in our less-than perfect lives and decisions we make.

We received it freely from our Heavenly Father when we run to Him.

As daughters of the King, we should bathe in His grace, mercy, and forgiveness daily.

And I have to remind myself of all the good decisions and progress I’ve made since embracing a “living with less” mindset. Our family had been packing up to move since February of this year, living with most of our stuff in storage for months. We’ve made a zillion decisions about stuff, what we need and what we can live without. And I’m happy to say we’re on a good track.

I’m going to guess you have a “stuff” story too.

A story about that room that you wish didn’t have all that stuff. That closet you stash your purchases in. That garage that needs serious attention. A story about why it’s hard for you to get rid of things sometimes.

We all have to decide how we want to do things.

And it’s ok for that to change over time.

You might loving holding photos in your hand or putting them on a wall!

Printing photos is not wrong. But since my focus is to truly have less stuff, 1,200 prints doesn’t fit in this chapter of our lives. 

This passage in Ecclesiastes 3 speaks to me regarding my personal transition toward the minimalism mindset.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away”

We need to know what season we’re in.

We need to remember who we are as Ambassadors for Christ.

If representing Him is the number one focus, then possession of things can have less of a hold on us.

So if we are to live with a relaxed grasp on things, we then need to trust that God will provide what we will need in the future.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

What’s your gift-giving fail? Or minimalism mis-step story?

Share it in the post on FB and we’ll laugh along with you!

Joyfully,

Ginger Lee Myers

PS - Learn from my journey!

Join me for Clear The Deck: Free 3-day Mastermind Workshop to get your thoughts right so you can manage our stuff well. Clear the Deck is a few short videos + worksheets to launch your journey of clarity about the season of your life and what stuff actually belongs with you there. It will be productive and great fun! October 24-26. Don’t worry if you can’t catch it live, all will be recorded so you don’t miss a thing. Sign up here to participate.  And invite that friend who needs a de-cluttering nudge too ;)