“Empty cupboards…”

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 Shared by Breanne Smedley

I get a rush of joy when I open a cupboard, closet, or drawer in my house and it’s empty. A literal feeling of relief.

I used to think that these spaces existed to be filled.

See, since being married, Brett and I have double the square feet in our home with each move.

First home=540 Sq Ft
Second home=1,100 Sq Ft
Current home=2,200 Sq Ft

(Darn, too bad the mortgage has doubled, too!)

Our first home was small, but we made everything fit.

We got super creative with storage hacks and repurposed every nook and cranny.

Even with this, we were forced to only keep the items that we needed. There no space for anything else!

Moving into our next house, we had double the square footage PLUS a garage!

“We are going to be swimming in open space!” We thought.

Quickly, though, we started to notice our space filling up.

Guest room closets now full. Drawers that became hard to open because they were crammed with things.

Where did all this stuff come from?

We seemed to expand to fit our space, even though we were living perfectly fine with half the square feet just the year prior.

Now, with over quadruple the space from our first home, my intent has been to be both vigilant and ruthless in what we keep to occupy our space.

This means being okay with empty closets, empty drawers, empty cabinets.

Even bookcases and end tables that are clear from anything.

Sometimes, people think it’s odd.

My mom commented recently that my house looked barren.

I took it as a compliment.

I was reminded recently of a quote from the tidying queen herself, Marie Kondo.

“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now. Not for the person we were in the past.”

How can I leave room for who I am becoming, if my space is crammed with unnecessary clutter?

By keeping only the items in my physical space that I love, and clearing the extra clutter, I have an inner calm.

My mind is not distracted by the chaos of unnecessary items, and overflowing storage spaces.

I see the empty space as an opportunity.

Opportunity to evolve and become, rather than be forced to stay and be.

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#MindfullyEvolving

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