It's been agessss since I write the last post, due to lack of any kind of happening. I'm still working for home, although me & Junda kinda let loose a lil bit more now. We sometimes eat out, visiting friends, and various other errands. Other big chunk of my activity lately is doing massive decluttering and selling things that we no longer need.
To some of you who might be following me on other media, you might realized that for the past few weeks I'm actively selling stuff there. Me & Junda are trying to commit more to this minimalist lifestyle, not only our dwelling is small, but we also don't really need much things anyway after contemplating. Although my version of minimalist lifestyle is not at the level of Fumio Sasaki yet, who could fit all of his belongings to a small suitcase. Mine is more on reducing redundant stuff, such as multiple shoes that all has the same purpose, or books that we already own the digital version of, or utensils that only differs in color or pattern even though the function is pretty much the same.
Like all journeys, taking the first step is the hardest part. I used to be a hoarder - I really like to collect things, especially books (tons and tons of books I collected since I was a kid). Not to mention knick knacks & souvenir that I bought when travelling abroad - bags, shoes, clothes, and whatnots. All these has their own story for me, making things especially hard in choosing which one to rid of. The story of my first step in minimalistic journey then came from a very unlikely source, Lady Fate.
When I lived in London, I could buy everything easily there (courtesy to Amazon and free prime subs from campus). I bought all the books in my wish list, some even ones I've read before, I just felt happy owning them back then. Not only books, I also bought some boots, coats, and everything else that caught my fancy. As my departure date to Indonesia looms, I need a way to ship all of these things back home. One option that resonates with me most is to use a sea cargo company, it was by far the cheapest option available if we send bulk of things, albeit also the slowest. It costed me just 40 pounds to ship a huge box that could easily fit all of my belongings all the way to Indonesia. It is even a door-to-door service, they picked the box from my flat in London, and around three months later that box will come at my home address in Medan. When everything is nice and boxed, I even still has a lot more things with me that I had no choice but to hand-carry them with me by flight. By September, when things left to do for me is to travel, my cargo box is transiting in a warehouse in London, waiting for the scheduled sailing of the cargo ship.
It was in Iceland that me and other friends who uses the same cargo service received a bad news; the warehouse of the cargo company was caught on fire. I was torn apart, taking note of all the stuff I put there; the brand new Harry Potter boxset, all Murakami's book that would complete my collection, the boots, shoes, coats, collection of magnets I handpicked & carefully selected from all cities I visited, it all burned to dust. I was shocked for a few days, as we could do absolutely nothing about it. One part of why the service is cheap is due to lack of insurance when things go south, and things goes completely south pole with this one. Even the Indonesian Embassy in London who quickly act as mediator to negotiate on behalf of all the Indonesian students hit a deadend. So that was my first step into minimalistic life, Lady Fate pretty much shoved me down a chasm without giving me a chance to prepare. However, I managed to crawl back up, realizing that I could still live with what I currently have.
Not long after I arrived at home, I read the book from Fumio Sasaki titled Goodbye, Things, which in retrospect is not really like me, I'm not into self-help book but this just hit me at the right moment. After reading, I took some time to contemplate and come to the conclusion that 'Hey, I could still continue my life, I'm sad a little bit, but life goes on'. I could slept soundly without a Harry Potter boxset & all Murakami collection, I could still enjoy meals without wearing fancy boots & coats, and I could still talk passionately about places I've been to without all the fridge magnets from the cities I've visited, the experience is in my heart.
Taking things further into the more regular aspect of my life, it's really tiring to have many things and having to deal with it on a daily basis. For example, I like the simplicity of having only one cup, so I don't have to waste a few seconds in choosing which cup to use. Same with shoes and clothes. All my outfit now fits into a single drawer. Furthermore, since I didn't have a permanent 'home' back then, I have to move my things several times, first from Medan to temporary rented room in Jakarta, and then to a more long-term rented room, and then to the home I lived in when I got married. The more stuff I have, the more difficult it is to move them all. Now I only keep what's necessary to me; I already mentioned the clothes, I have 1 shoe for sport and another 1 for a more formal occasion, I've also sold almost all my books since I realized that it is not the books that I like but the 'image' of having shelves full of book. In turn, I only keep a Kindle.
All in all, minimalistic life makes me happier now. I could focus on and cherish what really matters to me. Not to mention the obvious economic advantage of not buying more things ;)
Gegara baca ini, gak jadi aku scrolling BBW di Tokped. Keingetan buku satu container belum ditata, terus masa iya masih mau nambah wakakak. Btw sepupuku yang waktu itu ikutan jalan di London, juga jadi korban kebakaran gudang itu lho Mir. Kesian. Padahal rencana mau mbayarin jaket yang mereka pinjemin ke aku buat yalan-yalan ke Seven Sisters. Tapi emang bener sih, sama kayak yang dibilang mamas bule di The Minimalis, kalau kenangan itu di hati, bukan di barang. Sama kenangan tersimpan abadi di blog juga :') *brbbikinakuncarrousel
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