Curating Peace

We overwhelmingly believe that “more” is the key to feeling “better- whole, happier or peaceful”. Logically, we know that a new phone, dress, gadget, fill in the blank here, will not ultimately make us “better” but just the promise of that moment of exhilaration, when we add something new to our life, lulls us into pursuit of that momentary false peace.  It’s a high.  And it's fleeting.  After the excitement wears off we are left with that same uneasiness we were trying to get rid of in the first place.  

More isn’t the answer, it’s the problem.

Often, that impulse purchase has actually added to the root problem robbing us of our peace.  Excess.  We’ve added to the physical clutter we are already struggling to manage. Every new item we bring into our home carries inherent mental clutter because we have to manage it.  We have to choose where it will live in our home.  If we don’t have a designated space for it it likely will float around not really living anywhere and likely not serving its purpose.  This is especially true when we already had a similar item but failed to replace it with the new one.  We just add the new item to our home inventory, mindless of the mental load attached to that decision.

Let’s walk through a real-life example of how this mental load manifests.  I’m at HomeGoods and see the cutest floral tablecloth.  I wasn’t shopping for a tablecloth and the drawer I have them in at home is already so full I can barely open and shut it, but on impulse, because it’s so cute, I buy the new floral tablecloth.  Once home, the dining table is covered with stuff that I don’t want to deal with right now and realizing it will not fit into the drawer I simply toss it onto a shelf in the linen closet because I don’t know where else to put it.  Over time it gets shoved to the back, covered with towels and blankets and I completely forget about it until one day I finally go to switch the tablecloth and remember that super cute one I bought at HomeGoods.  I search through the drawer, but of course, it’s not there.  I look in other spots I think I might have put it with no luck.  I even look in the linen closet, but because there’s no order to the shelves, and it’s now buried under other things, I don’t see it.  I spend a frustrating hour searching for it until I finally just give up, mad at myself because I can never find what I’m looking for when I need it.  

Maybe you can relate?  You’ve felt that exact frustration.  Possibly even daily as you search for things you know are somewhere.  But where?  Excess and disorder is everywhere you look. You might be tempted to just give up and live with the constant feeling of overwhelm but I want to encourage you to try a new approach.  A simple switch of mindset and habit to regain control of the inventory maintained in your home and ultimately your peace.

Become the curator of your home and life.

Instead of the temporary false peace of a new purchase I suggest we chase the long lasting peace found in the freedom and simplicity of less.  The peace found in contentment with what we already have because we’ve curated our belongings down to what truly serves our needs, is regularly used and that we find beautiful.  We don’t need to impulse buy the cute floral tablecloth because we’ve curated our collection down to just our four favorites.  The other three not being used fit easily into the drawer and we know exactly where to find them when we desire a change.  If we ever want or need to purchase a new tablecloth we do so with no regrets or stress because we’ll simply replace an old one with the new.  We’ve curated our collection making management easy.  

This system is applicable to every category of items in our home. It’s essentially the “capsule

wardrobe” approach which can be easily applied elsewhere.  Instead of a kitchen drawer overfilled with multiples of every type of cooking utensil, many of which we rarely, or never, use; we curate the drawer down to simply our favorite one or two of each regularly used utensil. The rest we let go. Now when we open the drawer we can instantly see everything eliminating having to search around for what we want.  

Our linen closet transforms from a disordered mess of mismatched bath towels accumulated over years, torn beach towels, ratty, old blankets mixed with nice new ones, sheets no longer in sets and “Is that the dog’s collar we ended up replacing because we couldn't find it?”; into a closet with a designated shelf for clean, folded extra towels, beach towels (one per family member), only your favorite blankets in good repair and, if desired, extra complete sheet sets stored inside the pillow case for uniformity and ease.  You open the closet and before your eyes is simply what you regularly use and need.

Now I can imagine some of your hesitations or concerns already…”But what if I get rid of something and then I end up needing it later?”  Let’s explore that question.  Using an example from the kitchen lets say you get rid of a certain serving utensil and at some point regret that choice.  Your options are to find an appropriate substitute from the utensils you did choose to keep, simply make do, even if it’s not perfect, it works and you don’t use it often so it's not that big of a deal.  The mental clutter of adding that occasionally used utensil isn’t worth it to you.  Or, alternatively, you find yourself reaching for that utensil often and realizing you have a real need for it you simply repurchase with no regret afterwards because you know it’s meeting a true need.

Start with curating a single drawer or cabinet.  

Refer to my post titled “Junk Drawer No More” for a step by step description of my decluttering process- Rename, Reframe, Redesign, and Reclaim.  The process does take time and requires decision making.  Choose a time when you can dedicate your focus to the task at hand and trust that it will be completely worthwhile.  You get to choose the items that stay.  You get to choose where they will live.  You are curating your home to best serve your needs and leave you feeling lighter, free of clutter and chaos.  Dare I say, peaceful. 

Life is too precious to muddle through wishing things were different but never stopping and choosing to take the necessary action to bring about the desired change.  Your home should not be a source of daily stress but rather your haven of peace.  Eliminating excess through curation is your pathway toward creating that haven.  Peace awaits.  You can do this.

Reach out if you're in need of support!

Simply,

Stefani