Preview 03: Moving Lessons
What does a big move teach us about minimalism? I reflect on the surprising lessons learned when boxes stayed untouched for a year, and why letting go creates space for clarity and opportunity.
Transcript
This is a preview of The Refined Life, your guide to mastering the art of minimalist luxury.
Learning the art of minimalist luxury, as I talk about here on The Refined Life is more about growing and learning and figuring out what works best. Of course, there are these overarching tenets, but how does that apply to the day-to-day, and how can you learn from each experience? Recently, I had an experience that highlighted some things that I need to work on, which was moving.
Now, how many of us have so many things in our homes that we can't even imagine moving again? Picking up and moving seems like a far-fetched idea that we would never undertake unless we absolutely had to. Well, I absolutely had to. And I realized some important things from doing so.
First of all, I realized the move was much easier than it would have been otherwise had I not been disciplined in the amount of stuff that I own. In fact, before moving to this rental for a year, I did a purge because I didn't want to move stuff I didn't use. Right? So, I got rid of a lot of clothing, a lot of my son's old toys, things that he didn't use anymore. Um, so I downsized before I moved. So, that made moving back much easier than it would have been. And it just reminds us that, um, having stuff can sometimes anchor us to places that we don't need to be. When you are so trapped by your possessions, they can literally tie you to a physical location. And I don't think some of us realize that at times.
The second thing I learned from moving was that I still have too much stuff. Because in that move back from the rental to my own home, I realized that there were boxes I had not really even touched in a year. Things that I thought were still important enough to take with me, I didn't use the entire year. And it is actually a significant amount of stuff. So, I realized there's more growth for me in that area, and this whole process really illuminated that for me. I am almost surprised, with each of these experiences, how much I actually need to live or how little I need to live.
No one's perfect in this minimalism journey. But we can always grow and learn and develop. So, I challenge you. Take a look at some of the things that are in storage. Do you still need those things? Can you free up space in the garage or in a closet? Can you free up enough that if you needed to move, or if you just wanted to move, you wouldn't be anchored and tethered with a bunch of possessions that you don't even need or use?
These are the things that we have to ask ourselves. And once you start making a move in that direction, there's freedom, there's clarity, and there is opportunity. There's opportunity to live life more fully and unencumbered when we let go of the stuff that we do not need.
I am Desiré Greene, and you've been listening to a preview of The Refined Life Podcast, coming in 2026. Let's keep the conversation going. You can leave a comment here or follow me on my socials @hellosukio.
