The Zen of Empty Shelves

My material needs for a month or two fit into a small backpack, end-on in an aircraft's overhead bin.

I find it satisfying to carefully select what I'm going to pack in my 35-liter backpack before heading out of town for a few weeks. I now want that same compact, lightweight, self-sufficient feeling with our stuff in our home.

"Curated" is a somewhat overused term. These days, it seems it's more often used to describe the content of a Web site than a museum.

Curate. Select, organize, and present (online content, merchandise, information, etc.), typically using professional or expert knowledge.

The contents of my backpack are "curated" and I like things that way. Recently, I've found myself wondering: why not curate the contents of our home?

We've never been big shoppers, and we're not big pack-rats. We wouldn't qualify for one of those hoarder reality shows I've read about but hope never to see.

However, we have stuff we will never use again, and we're fixing that.

Listed 35mm film cameras and a zoom lens on eBay. The few dozen dollars they'll fetch will go directly to Doctors Without Borders. pic.twitter.com/VhKiXnEueP

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) January 28, 2017

Netted $256 for Doctors Without Borders via eBay from camera gear https://t.co/8PMyrpwbCP
that had been hiding in a cupboard for 20+ years. pic.twitter.com/P2oHwdjtWp

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) February 4, 2017

Continued simplifying our lives. Listed seven more items we'll never use again on Craigslist and eBay. Proceeds to Doctors Without Borders. pic.twitter.com/frNCEQ6B3y

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) February 18, 2017

Started destroying old disk drives: it's a lot of work. I'll grind the surfaces outside when it's warm. pic.twitter.com/gntOflV0sf

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) February 25, 2017

Drove a carload of electronic detritus to a Hennepin County recycling center. pic.twitter.com/buHQmmLYHm

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) March 1, 2017

Posted https://t.co/UFm9hDiBhC How to Dispose of Unwanted Money. pic.twitter.com/s3jLxiQaOk

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) January 15, 2017

Delivered the contents of my office supplies cupboard to the teachers' union hall. pic.twitter.com/OWO2deapkf

— Tom Wilson (@TomPhase3) February 27, 2017

Note: This is just a start; for example, 

• We've been buying eBooks since 2010, but we have yet to dispose of many of our paper books. 
• We have photos and slides still to scan then toss. 
• We digitize our papers and records; now we have to donate our filing cabinet to a school. 
• Clothing needs to be donated to Goodwill or dumped in a fabric recycling bin. I will never wear a suit again, and I only need one or two ties.
• We have a kitchen implement rule: if we buy something for the kitchen, something has to go to Goodwill. Despite this rule, we still have items we have not used in years: these need to go.
• We bought our older car in 1996. When it dies, we will not replace it.

Our shelves and cupboards are built-in, so they stay!

As we surround ourselves with less, I suspect we'll want even less. I do have one large plastic tub where I allow myself to store items of sentimental value.

Oh, the problems of  21st century Western life.