You probably think I’m crazy for calling all of us hoarders. Give me a few minutes.
Most of the people on our street are lovely, except for one house. Every time I walk past it, I get a little irritated. My neighbor is a hoarder. Through the windows you can see rooms filled with trash. I can let a lot of things slide, but I’m obsessive about cleanliness, and that house gets to me.
One day I went on a long walk, and somewhere along the way it occurred to me that we’re all hoarders. We hoard material things: clothes, utensils, household items, money, jewelry. And we hoard things you can’t see: emotions, thoughts, old grudges.
Start with the material stuff. We keep things because “I might need it someday,” and someday never comes. We own twenty or thirty outfits and still shop constantly. We have enough money to live happily and still chase more. That’s human nature, but it can be reined in. You might be thinking, why should I? I can afford it. Hold that thought.
Two years ago we went to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas. On that trip we also visited some of the poorer areas, and the markets were piled high with branded clothing. I asked around. Most of it was what people in countries like ours donate, which gets shipped to Africa and other parts of the world. Whatever doesn’t sell there gets burned or dumped. Every shirt we buy and toss has a long tail.
I recently watched the documentary The True Cost, about what fast fashion does to the planet and to the people who make our clothes. It changed how I shop. Next time you buy anything, think twice.
Growing up, my mom always told us never to buy the cheapest thing, because you’ll just have to replace it soon. Buy something that lasts. My siblings and I still live by that, and all of us ended up minimalists.
Vatsal recently read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It lays out a method for decluttering so you don’t slide back into accumulating, and it argues that a tidy home creates positive energy, both in the house and in your head.
Which brings me to the mind. Mine is far messier than any closet. Everything we do runs through it, and the only ways I know to keep it uncluttered are regular meditation or something physical like running, which people tell me clears the head in a similar way.
At the end of the day, we all need to spring clean our homes and our minds. Let go of old thoughts and emotions to make room for better ones. Do a little every day. And try not to leave a huge footprint on this earth, so the generations after us get to live well too.