Are you or are you not a minimalist?

[artist]

I am a minimalist.

[Teacher Terry]

UL, I have thought that for years but for some reason her and boyfriend won’t move. I even left my elderly mother once my dad died and she encouraged us to do so. I really don’t get it.

[Chicken lady]

Late to the party, but feeling a need to chime in - newgig, from one hoarder to another - welcome.

Ultralight, of course we can control it. It’s just very very hard. Like controlling your food intake.

i am ok with “crazy” I personally feel like most people have their own particular brand of crazy. My behavior is often insane, but I feel like applying the label to a person denies any moments of lucidity.

struggles with executive function make it difficult to manage one’s life. OTOH, looking at my family, home, job, and lifestyle, I seem to have managed mine better than most. It helps that I was dealt a good hand to play.

you can also add me to the column of those in the helping professions who think a high percentage is manure flung wildly by incompetent labor. Seeing how they make the sausage can quickly turn you vegetarian (says the vegetarian goat and chicken lady)

[Ultralight]

I am a minimalist.

Do tell!

[Ultralight]

Late to the party, but feeling a need to chime in - newgig, from one hoarder to another - welcome.

Ultralight, of course we can control it. It’s just very very hard. Like controlling your food intake.

i am ok with “crazy” I personally feel like most people have their own particular brand of crazy. My behavior is often insane, but I feel like applying the label to a person denies any moments of lucidity.

struggles with executive function make it difficult to manage one’s life. OTOH, looking at my family, home, job, and lifestyle, I seem to have managed mine better than most. It helps that I was dealt a good hand to play.

you can also add me to the column of those in the helping professions who think a high percentage is manure flung wildly by incompetent labor. Seeing how they make the sausage can quickly turn you vegetarian (says the vegetarian goat and chicken lady)

I am not so sure I can control my food intake.

[Chicken lady]

Sometimes you want pancakes and you don’t eat them.

sometimes you have to put yourself where there is no food available.

sometimes you backslide.

that is control - imperfect control, but control. Lack of control would be eating as much as you want, of whatever you want, whenever you want it.

the hoarding is similar.

[NewGig]

Exactly! What a great analogy!

I never said I was resigned to or accepting of my hoarding, just that I know why it’s part of my life. I also never said the panic attacks which stopped me for decades were something I approached as: “Oh well, it’s part of my nature, I’ll live with it.”

Some days I do better than others.

Unknown to me several things had to happen first: I had to have the PTSD diagnosed (age 45). I had to do the trauma work and I had to finish the memoir. I am doing it, albeit slowly. Slowly because after many, many tries I’ve found if I charge ahead, I get the panic attacks again.

i don’t know if this attempt will work any better than the 1001 previous attempts, all I can do is try.