Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 26oC, warm, sunny, and with a breeze.
Friday, the eve of moving from Copacabana to Flamengo. I was up early; an early class was cancelled the night before so I could have a good workout at the end of Leme, probably my last in Leme. If I do not work out in Leme tomorrow, my next will be in Flamengo.
My class will begin at nine and the last at four, which means that I will only have the evening to pack and prepare the things for the move tomorrow morning. First, I need to pack Yasmin’s things, mostly clothes and books. I have put all her stuff in separate large plastic bags so she can sort out everything later in her mother’s place.
I had bought twenty bags from the local supermarket, each with a twenty-kilo capacity. Of course, I carefully put her more delicate things, such as ornaments, jewellery, drawing items, etc., wrapped in newspaper so they do not break and in some large boxes.
I folded her clothes in the large bags with the idea that she would recognise them and her things when she received them the next day. I also gave her bedroom a simple cleaning and tidying to leave it in a decent condition. I repeated the same process with my things.
I had some large plastic container boxes that I used to put in books and odds and ends so again that nothing breaks, while my clothes and shoes were put into the large industrial plastic bags.
I also dragged my large inflatable kayak inside its holdall from inside the bottom of the wardrobe into the living room. I put everything ready to go in the living room to check what was and was not prepared and what remained to be done.
After cleaning out mine and Yasmin’s things, I think eighty per cent of the cupboards, wardrobes, etc., were done. It is essential to add that during this packing process, I always looked for things I did not need anymore that could be thrown away or given away.
I think getting rid of things in life is important for many reasons. The main reason is that when you intentionally remove stuff from the past and give space for new things, you open yourself to new possibilities. Your life, therefore, improves and becomes more straightforward, lighter and more fluid. And besides this, how are you able to acquire new stuff if you do not have space physically, mentally, emotionally or metaphorically?
Many people nowadays like to horde a container load of stuff. I think it is linked to a sense of insecurity; maybe when a person has more stuff, he or she feels more secure and robust in his or her life.
Why do we often see homeless people in the streets carrying or even dragging loads of bags, etc., with stuff they do not even have a place to put? It is not logical, but it is a part of human nature.
Maybe we must fight against this natural behaviour of hoarding and try to do the opposite; minimalism has a lot going for it, and although it simplifies our lives, we do not need so much to be happy. I think I finished packing eighty percent of what needed to be done by 10 p.m. I was tired and wanted to go to bed.
My last night in Rua Duvivier in Copacabana. Tomorrow will be the move!!!
In bed by 10.30 pm.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
