I just threw out a small box of stuff that I've been keeping on a top shelf for years. I couldn't imagine what I was thinking keeping all those useless stuff. They were mostly paper and documents -- school records, employment certificates and memos. My gosh! But it felt goooooood! Being able to just chuck 'em in one swift decision felt so liberating. Like with each chuck to the trash bin was a load off my back. It just makes me want to chuck more. This cleaning business is habit-forming. The more I throw out, the more I want to look for things to get rid of.

Just recently, I've been reading posts by minimalists who embrace the idea of having a certain number of items, having one piece of furniture and living off a backpack. I don't think that's the life for me. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I love my things. Not to the extent of being a slave to them, but I would like to have just enough things to enjoy my life. I do not want to have just the bare essentials. I want a little extra. But not too much that they overpower me. I don't believe it's the number of items that I should keep or rules that I have to follow, but being happy in the space that I'm in, without having the unnecessary things: things that don't function or that do not add any value or enjoyment to my life. But the one thing I am truly aiming for that I've picked up from the minimalist lifestyle is to have no things on the floor. Right now I have tons of things lying on the floor. My boxes of shoes, which I have no other place for, and a few bins and storage containers. As I've said, I have a tiny room and have most of my belongings with me.

So today, my plan is to scan a few more photos and articles that I've found in that top shelf I cleared out earlier, then chuck 'em. "Chuck" has become my favorite word in recent days! Can't wait to start today's decluttering session. But first, my morning cup of coffee.