Give Away Five Items A Week For Five Months
By: Helen Kean Redpath
Tags: 2020, Intentional Living, Minimalism, Freedom, Lockdown

Give Away Five Items A Week For Five Months

And create space for what is really meaningful to you

Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash

For many years I have been aware of that concept called minimalism. As with anything that is concisely termed, this tends to have different meanings to different people, and, depending on one’s perspective, may convey the idea of something less than appealing, relevant, or useful. Likely also an air of strange.

And so it was for me.

Whilst I liked the idea of having less stuff, I never really embraced ways of thinking about this and hence approaching it. And it was exactly that to me — a concept of having less, living with less. Which I now realize is completely incorrect. It is in fact — on my preferred version of the concept — having more meaningful things in your life, which often comes by removing what you don’t really love and need and want, and making space — mentally, emotionally, and physically — for what you do.

Simply put, living with much more meaning and enjoyment.

So in 2020 I no longer saw minimalism as something that was reserved for privileged millennial hipsters who have never experienced a lack or don’t have something more important to focus on. Rather it was something entirely practical and value-adding. As with many things, it also takes the right person to tell you about their passion for something in the right way before it falls on fertile ground. It is also about this coming at a serendipitous time.

And so after really listening and seeing and having this fall upon me at the right time in my life, I set myself an informal challenge — to give away five items per week for five months. In the first weeks I gave away much more than this, all the easy gains were had. Like peeling off layers.

I started with clothes, tons of items that I really don’t love and that belonged to a past version of myself. And so I continued — clothes, shoes, jewellery, personal products, kitchenware, paperwork (for throw away), children’s clothes and toys that are outgrown and urgently needed by others, old and dry foodstuffs, gadgets, linen, unnecessary personal computer files and pictures (to be deleted), and so on.

I am still going, despite my five months being up. Why? Because once you start letting go, it really becomes easier and easier. Easier to realize that you are not your stuff (no matter how hard you worked to get it), that immense freedom comes from making space for new and meaningful things, and that it really is a pleasure to give to others who may need and appreciate certain things more than you.

So whatever you wish to call it, minimalism, de-cluttering, letting go, or creating space, do it your way.

If that means being more conscious of only having things that you really love, then that is great.

If it is about being more conscious of the creation and distribution process for your items and what you are supporting, that is fantastic too.

It might also be about being more aware of waste, or of some kind of circular economy for items.

Or having things that you don’t get overly attached to.

Or the opposite, having items that you are crazy about and do get attached to.

Or figuring out what is a means and what is an end to you.

However you wish to define and approach it, may it create space to remember what you truly love, and space to find new things to love.

Less is more.

PS. For inspiration on this I can highly recommend Vera at Simple Happy Zen, who learned these concepts from the source (Japan) and whose style I really enjoy and find to be relaxed, real and grounded.