On my way to my achievement of a Zen household, turning theory into practice, I found a new lease on life. At first it was overwhelming, I felt like there was so much stuff in my room I couldn’t even think. I wanted to work on my project for class, but I didn’t even have the room to do it in! I was trapped by my own devices. I knew that I had to let go of all the clutter in my room and then I would finally be able to clear my mind. The reason I decided to focus on clutter culture and the juxtaposition with Asian cultures was because, I have spent most of my life crowded by stuff I didn’t need. I always felt as if I had some attachment to these inanimate objects. So, I found solace in learning about minimalist cultures and in turn learned how to quiet my mind through my physical space.
I started with my clothes. I have always had an abundance of clothes, which was the first mission – to pick them all up off of my floor. I then sifted through them, and made a giveaway pile which consisted of anything I have not worn in the past three months. I gave these clothes to friends as well as donated to the free store and goodwill. I also took a minute to leave my room and do my laundry while I thought about how much more calm I was even just after cleansing my room a little bit. Then, I went through all the trash, and threw it away. After that, I moved to the objects and nick-knacks I’ve held onto throughout the years. I spent time meditating on which ones helped me feel spiritually enlightened, and others which had some significance but weren’t as significant to feeling at home in my space. That was about the time I burned some incense and sat on my bed while I breathed deeply and let myself take in the new more barren look of my room. I felt something I have not ever felt… I was feeling like I was reborn. I no longer was an extension of my room; my room was an extension of me. I was then finally able to successfully be at peace with myself and my surroundings. I was no longer a prisoner to my belongings, but now a guard for my new found territory.