Minimalism

Minimalism: More happiness with less stuff.

I couldn't really say when I started taking an interest in this lifestyle/mindset, but that short, simple definition of minimalism has proven to be so very true for me.

I think it started when we got an IKEA close to where I live. I remember my first visit there, and being enchanted with the simple lines of much of their furniture. From there...I really don't know how it took off from there, but the idea of happiness in simplicity really resounded with me.

Its first real appearance in my life came when I decided to remove my pierced earrings. To me, it was a way of simplifying my body - removing one thing I had to worry about. The idea spread like wildfire from there: next, to my closet, purging it of clothing I was never going to wear again. It has kept spreading - books, papers, DVDs, trinkets...you name it, I've gone through it and cleaned out what I don't use or love.

So what does this have to do with who I am, as a person and as an androgyne? Well, I did not have what I would call a "happy childhood." It was full of a lot of stress, frustration, hurt, and resentment. And a lot of the stuff I've been clinging to, stowed away in boxes in the backs of closets and shelves, represents or reminds me of those unhappy years.

I kept it for lots of reasons: a memory of a special person, not wanting to dishonor a gift given to me, or just because it had been around for ages and the thought of letting it go never crossed my mind. But these objects carry with them some of the negative energy of my life from the time I obtained them. All that energy has been sitting around my home, dragging me down and holding me back from being *me*.

Getting rid of the objects, and the energy attached to them, has been incredibly liberating. I've been feeling the "me" that I haven't been in years starting to come back. The tailor. The outdoorsperson. The reader. The writer. This will probably sound weird, but...I've missed myself. I've missed my creative side. I've missed being able to write freely instead of living with permanent writer's block. I've missed being happy to spend an afternoon constructing a piece of clothing. I've even found a part of me that I didn't know was there...who knew I actually *liked* keeping my apartment clean and tidy??

So as I sit curled up on the sofa, typing on my laptop with a cup of tea next to me (how many times have I dreamed of doing this without actually do it?), gazing at my second Subaru-Outback's-worth of stuff ready to head out the door, I am happier and more at peace than I have been in a long time.

If anyone is interested in the minimalist mindset of more happiness with less stuff, I recommend reading The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay. The tone is casual, not preachy, overly intellectual, or bossy...like a conversation with a friend.

My posts are getting longer and longer, hope I'm not losing people! Thanks for sticking with me to the end of my ramblings. Talk to you again soon!

Clothes - figuring it out

I've been miserable with my wardrobe for a long, long time. I don't like shopping in the first place. I HATE going to the mall. And to complicate matters, I'm a member of what a friend calls "the plus-size sisterhood." This makes finding clothes that match my taste even harder, because a lot of plus-size clothes either have a lot of "foo-foo" like ruffles, lace, gathers, and that kind of nonsense, or they have big, bright, gad-awful floral prints. Ew, no thank you!!

In the past, I have remedied this problem by making my own clothes. It's much easier to find nice stuff for someone my size in a pattern book than it is on a clothing rack. So I have a number of basic patterns for button-down tops, knit tops, skirts, trousers, and accessories. I like sewing, but over the last several years, other things have demanded too much of my time.

I've reached the point where I have about eight outfits I can wear to work. Three of them are almost exactly the same: white button-up shirt over a tank top and a long, full, black skirt. The rest are knit tops, all the same style in a few different colors, with the same black skirt. Getting dressed in the morning has become depressing.

I love folding my son's laundry, because he has a whole bunch of wonderful thermal-knit shirts and double-sleeve shirts that I just adore. I've desperately wished I could find shirts like that for myself. But there are only a couple of places in town that sell clothing my size, and it's mostly that awful, flower-printed, frilly stuff.

A couple of days ago, on a lark, I decided to do a Google search for "plus size clothes." On the list of sites was OneStopPlus.com which has clothes from several retailers all on one site. The best part of it was, there was *very little* of the flowery/frilly stuff I was seeing at the mall. And, the prices were good. I was such a happy camper!!

As I was browsing, though, I looked longingly at boyish knit tops with sleeves that were a different color from the body of the shirt, and oversize button-down "boyfriend" shirts, and wishing I had something to wear with them. Then it hit me: I used to have a long, straight denim skirt that I made...that style of skirt would be *perfect* with these tops! (I'm not allowed to wear jeans to work - I find them uncomfortable anyway - that's why I'm thinking skirt instead of jeans.)

So, off to the fabric store I went that afternoon to pick up some fabric for a denim skirt. Now my mind is whirling with ideas for what I can do with the other patterns in my collection. I have a pattern for a plain knit top which I could use to make a two-tone shirt or even a double-sleeve shirt. I have a couple of tunic patterns for making oversize t-shirts. I imagine I could even find a pattern for a big, loose boyfriend shirt. And for times when I'm feeling more feminine, I have several nice dress patterns.

Who knew that what started as a hobby making doll clothes would turn into the answer to my bigender wardrobe problems?  ^-^