Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about stuff I have around the house. You probably can tell, I’m not a minimalist. I’m not ashamed to admit that. Some stuff is GOOD. I don’t want to be a hoarder, of course, and less is often more, but I do like to be surrounded by pretty things. I like color and books and art and pattern. I like to have things around me that bring meaning and a little joy to life.

I like room to breathe and empty spaces to balance it all out so I can actually appreciate what I have, of course,  but just not too much empty space. Too much empty space or absence of color and pattern makes a home feel a bit lifeless to me. It can feel like a missed opportunity to be creative or to see the beauty in the everyday.

Obviously if you fill up every nook and cranny with unnecessary stuff, things feel cluttered and a bit crazy. That takes it too far. But a little happy clutter is a pretty good thing in my world. Not everyone agrees, but that’s OK. I think we have that freedom to enjoy stuff or not enjoy it.

I’m writing quite a few articles on organization and clutter and I’ll be telling you all about that soon. But writing out my thoughts is really helping me to think through what I have in my home, what the good stuff is and not-so-good stuff is, and what to do with it all to keep my home free of bad clutter, but happily filled with what matters and things that make me smile.  And along those lines, I shared an article on “stuff” over at (in)courage.

Let’s talk about our thoughts on stuff, shall we? Read more at (in)courage!