Less

‘So, we start with turning on the laundry. Before we can organize, we need the general areas to be tidy. Then it’s easier to sort through things. It’s not as overwhelming. Then you can take on organizing a section at a time more easily.’ My sister, Meghan helped me to fill a basket and we took it down to the wash as we continued our conversation. She came over to spend some of her Saturday with me. Brought her kids to play with mine, a few things to help us clean up, and we swapped books on a couple of recent topics of interest. She borrowed a book on money/ budgeting from me, and she left me with: The Joy of Less – by Francine Jay.

Then we spent the Saturday going through my closet. We purged through quite a few things: blankets, bedding, a sewing box, some older things of the kids that I no longer needed.

With a lot of it, she just had to say, ‘and why do you have this?’ Or, ‘do you need more than one of these?’ She’s always been brilliant about organizing, keeping things tidy, and everything in its place. And looking with her, I found that much of it, I do not need.

I remember my aunt had a little sign in her kitchen that said: ‘have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’ Meghan very much also lives by this. And a big lesson to is that I should be in control. Not the other way around. Not holding on to things because they control me in some way (emotion being a driving factor here). Francine Jay says of being in control, that ‘we reclaim our space, and restore function and potential into our homes.’

Once we got through much of the things being stored, she advised on things I could rearrange in ways that made more sense, which actually freed up a shelf for all my paintings. My stacks and stacks of pieces that I have made over these years for my portfolio (viewable on my Instagram). I have them at arm level now and can sift through them easier. And a shelf for my treasured books – you know I have many! At shoulder height so I can see them all in front of me and they aren’t in a box I have to dig through. So we found there were ways to make it more functional, the potential was there all along.

It is very much a joy to have less and have a place for everything. It’s much more empowering and then because of the relief, the domino effect was that I felt freed up to do bookkeeping for my husband’s business. When places in my home are more organized, I feel generally more organized and in control as well. That Saturday with Meghan means a lot to me – having her help, cycling laundry, lunch with the kids, and our chitchat throughout it all, from household to hygge, taxes and business.

Sending Love,

Devon