Collect Memories & Assets, Not Dust......

Constant sneezing and chills, I know where to pinpoint the cause.

It’s the dust that accumulates somewhere in the room.

I recently got back to my own place again after a few months away. I don’t normally dust my place unless it’s a seasonal cleaning or monthly cleaning. So, when I abruptly left my place because of my dad's passing, I didn’t really clean the place for almost 3 months. Throughout the years, my life changes and so are the things in my room. For example, I didn’t really have a gaming chair and a proper table until the last few years. I didn’t even really have boxes to store my items. I kept everything very minimal because at some point, my life was mobile. So, there was no need for me to have more than a few basic necessities. Things started to change after the pandemic where I eventually had more things because I was torn between constantly being a nomad or settling for good.

The culprit....

Somehow, during the pandemic, I also relied a lot on delivery. I ended up getting a kids meal so often that I got toys from it. I’ve always wanted it because as a kid, my mom didn’t allow me to buy any fast-food. She would prefer eating at a very nice restaurant rather than fast food. So, when I saw my other cousins and relatives collecting Mcdonald’s toys, I felt a little jealous as a kid. Then, as an adult, I ended up getting a few of them, especially when they released figurines that I like, such as from the Minion series. I displayed some of them but didn’t realize that other than the stack of books I have, they are also the home to dust.

Getting rid of them

They might be tiny but when left untouched and uncleaned, they store dust like it’s a dust warehouse. So, while sniffling and sneezing, I decided to just store them and donate them to my niece and nephew when I am going home. I am sure they would appreciate it a lot more than I do. At the same time, for keepsake, I only keep the ones I truly like and would love to have such as the Minion.

I don’t think we should only have a few items or be limited by certain things. I think minimalism itself has gone through a lot of adjustment, and a lot more of its subscribers are finding their way to apply the essence of minimalism into modern life. While perhaps, in the past a lot of minimalists got caught up with quantity and very basic colors, more people started giving flair to it which makes this lifestyle pretty doable and on the contrary of past beliefs that minimalism equates to romanticizing poverty. In fact, just like my title. Minimalism has taught me that I would rather collect more experiences, memories, and tangible assets than collecting items that eventually collect dust and do harm rather than good for me. These days, I also re-think if I wanted to purchase anything new. Even more so when it comes to clothing.

A good reminder...

When it comes to clothing, rather than following the latest trends and buying a piece of clothing that would end up in my wardrobe, I decided to not buy and mix matching everything I have. If it doesn’t fit, I have to make myself fit into that a.k.a losing the weight haha. I also have the same approach with technology. I am done buying cheap things that may work but doesn’t last. I would rather invest more but get a quality piece of equipment that would last for years to come. But I am no god, so I definitely would make mistakes once in a while but at least by writing it here, I can remind myself in the future if I am about to purchase a piece of junk that would only last less than a year.