What things would you pack if you had to cram everything you could keep in six suitcases?  What items would make the cut?  Would it be the clothes?  The pictures of the kids?  Your toddler’s favorite stuffed animals?  Well-worn and read-again books? 

As we have been doing research about our move to Thailand, we are discovering that the best way to travel is to travel light.  Very light.  Instead of shipping boxes, we are probably going to be only taking what we can fit into our suitcases.  And granted, the suitcases will be the largest we can find, and we might even pay for one or two extra, but the reality of limiting our stuff as we move to another land has been both challenging and liberating over the past two weeks.

For starters, I am finding that we have way too much general kid-stuff.   We have more toys than my kids need, and more toys than I can ever keep organized.  The past few weekends, we have been ruthless with our scaling down.  The closets, the toybins, the garage, the bookshelves–almost nothing has been off-limits to give away.  And as I look around at the de-cluttered closets and the emptier shelves in the garage, I can breathe a sigh of relief.  Because simplicity brings freedom.  I’ve tasted the freedom this week that comes from not worrying about the 17 puzzles and losing all their pieces.  I’ve enjoyed the freedom not to trip over toys without batteries and the freedom not to organize as many boxes in the closet.  This last week, I have tasted the freedom that comes from fewer choices, because when the pile of clothes is smaller, my daughter can make a faster decision on what to wear out the door.    

So my challenge for us all today–whether we are moving houses or just moving through another week–is this: 

seek material simplicity. 

Pick a closet and weed it out. 

Give away something that you love to a friend who needs it more. 

Ask your kids to choose five toys each to give away. 

Get rid of things that are broken. 

Throw away or give away things that you haven’t used in a year. 

Pick three big trashbags and race through the house to fill them up with things to take to Goodwill.  Make it a game. 

Believe the principle that too much stuff just adds more stress to our lives, and then act on that belief. 

Our American culture and media will try to convince us that more is better, but I often wonder if it truly is.  In fact, as I eyeball this week what will actually fit into six suitcases for our family of five, I am learning that maybe less is really more.

Have a simplicity idea that’s worked in your home?  Leave a comment.

image from businesstoday.com

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