February 21, 2020 - News Post

Truth be told, I’ve only sort of adopted the minimalist lifestyle of today’s comic.

When I moved to Hawaii last year, I dumped 80% of everything I own, threw the rest into storage and came out with two suitcases. I’ve acquired a few things since then, but not all that many.

I’ve done this a couple times in my life (unloaded possessions... not moved to Hawaii). Each time I purge my stuff, I only keep a few essentials. Buuuuuut my definition of essentials always includes several boxes of old toys. The most recent cleaning/unloading was the biggest yet. I donated and sold furniture, clothes, heirlooms, computer equipment, even old artwork. I filtered nearly all of my belongings, yet I still managed to keep more toys than the average child. There’s no practical reason for this. Most are worthless. They simply make me happy so I keep them.

All of the toys are packed in boxes at the moment. I think this makes me a hoarder. But remember, I’m currently living with a computer, a bed, a couple chairs, and a handful of books. So doesn't that make me a minimalist? Sort of?

I have all the convenience of not owning things, yet still own boxes of junk six time zones away. To be fair, some of those boxes contain practical items that would be difficult to reacquire if I ever moved back. But the toys remain. My status halfway between minimalist and hoarder is very confusing. And while I deal with this confusion, I pay monthly to store everything.

It's neither bright, nor sustainable. I know that. But it's still better than getting rid of my toys.

PS - To anyone else out there considering dumping their possessions and moving to the middle of the ocean somewhere, I have one tip:

Kitchenware is essential, expensive, and difficult to acquire. DO NOT cut down on kitchenware.

You may not think you need those tongs until the moment you do.

You’re welcome.

-Jeff