Minimalism is hard

I am a “practicing minimalist” if that’s even a “thing”. All of this is to say, I’m very mindful of what I own and try to limit the items in my possession. Today, I took off work and part of what I wanted to do was to go through all of my items to figure out what I could donate and throw away. This mainly meant going through my books to gather ones I’ve read and am ready to part with as I have a 1 item in and 1 item out policy (if I buy a new item of clothing, I have to give the same type of item away from what I already own). Alongside the books, I’m getting rid of items I have duplicates of. For example, I have two protein shakers and two water bottles but tend to only use one of each. Why keep both?

A few weeks ago, I went to a fancy event and had to buy new black shoes. I have a very old pair of black flats that I’ve had for easily 8 years. They seem to have just always been with me but I can’t pinpoint when I bought them. They have seen me through many an anxious event where I needed just the right pair of shoes. They are riddled with holes, smell TERRIBLE, and they are my least favorite pair of shoes I own. Yet as I lowered them into the trash, it truly pained me. Even now as I’m sitting a mere 10 feet from them, I am feeling a need to pull them out of the trash and keep them. I can’t really pinpoint why! I’m emotionally attached to a pair of shoes I do not like.

I think when I have so few items, the ones I do keep double down in importance in my little mind. I really don’t know though. It caught me off guard to find myself having such a tough time letting go of something I thought I cared so little for. This is the “being mindful” part of being a minimalist. I am still attached deeply to items yet still I let them pass along.