Small Simple Things

I have discovered recently that I love small simple things in my life. I really love them – that is, I feel a sweet emotion when I see them, use them, touch them. When I can throw a lip balm, a mobile and a card holder in my little bag and go – I feel small wings behind my back like those of a butterfly. I believe I can fly :)) No, I don’t feel like flying. But I feel appreciation of all the simple things that work in my life – that give me space to breathe and think of other things (which are not things-things).

I came to value simplicity. Surprisingly for myself :)) In my post “Pack lightly. Travel lightly” I dwelled on my philosophy of it. Here I just want to share some actual things, small simple things, that keep me happy.

posters on my wall

As I had mentioned before, I would not go so far and call myself a minimalist. It is kind of a tall order, and I don’t like setting too many of those on myself, as I also like to escape defining myself by any terms. Besides, Ikea calls it “a myth of minimalism” in its latest catalogue – and I tend to take Ikea’s philosophy seriously :)) But I like to play with that minimalistic idea of having less but extracting more value.

Here are the things, at home, in my bag, in my style and jewelry, that allow me to do exactly this. Having less. Enjoying more.

1. At home. There are so many pretty things out there that could turn me into a  compulsive shopper :)). But I had experienced that more things don’t create harmony in my home. And when there are less things, I actually like it better and enjoy spending more time in the room with few things (and enough light).

Luckily, I had a great practice of making a minimalistic home, and since then I keep those lessons close to my heart. I still love going to the stores, checking and touching all the beautiful things that attract my attention – but for buying them I need more than that. So I end up getting some visual pleasure – and walking away with my money in my pocket (guess, the shops would not be happy with this sentence, but here it is). When I have to buy something, I ask myself in which exactly place I would place it, and how it would match to other things and colors. This is kinda new practice to me. Before I would just go for “Oh, so pretty, I have to buy it!”

2. In my bag. Once I had a big wallet full of credit cards, customer cards, old receipts… As my bag got smaller, there was less space for such a heavy thing. And then – who needs a huge wallet these days? (It had a cool electric blue color though) In Norway we have so little cash on us, since it is so usual to pay with a card, even for a take-away coffee. So I bought this card holder, and I feel happy whenever I slip it into my bag. So light and simple. Just how I want my life to be. And then I go out of the door with a light air in my step. Defying the law of gravitation :))

3. Jewelry. Some years ago there was this trend of statement necklaces. And I had so many of them, in different materials and colors. I loved changing them often, and the school kids (I worked as a teacher then) would notice and ask: “Oh, is this real?” (“Of course, it is real. 100% plastic, what do you think?”) It was great to establish a positive contact that way. My ice-breaker :))

Now the statement necklaces are out, and the statement earrings are in. I don’t have holes in my ears, and still don’t know if it is a blessing or not. Sometimes I wish I could wear earrings – there are so many cool, colorful, exciting ones out there. But then again, I would spend a lot of money on them. And maybe, I would end up not using all of them that much. This way is kinda easier. What do you think?

Maybe, I am getting older, maybe, this is a Norwegian air full of minimalism – but suddenly I found myself falling in love with the simple minimalistic design of jewelry. Like this necklace by Papaya Oslo.

geometry of love

Or this bracelet “Torunn” by Georg Jensen. It was created by the Swedish designer Vivianna. She lived in Paris in 60s, an independent woman and an artist – not so usual choice at that time. I love her story – and so I love this piece. A great gift of love, as the brand promotes it. While for me it is also a reminder of one of their taglines: “You can never be too strong”. This is what I think, when I put on this bracelet.

And I like the fact that it is not cheap. I owned so much of the cheap jewelry – and where did it all end up? Now I am old enough to own few pieces – which, I hope, will stay with me over time. So it’s ok if they cost some money. It is not so expensive in the long run.

4. Wardrobe choices. My summer style was easy and breezy  – thanks to the unusually warm and long summer this year. I would wear a simple combination of a skirt and a t-shirt. With a base of several skirts, and some t-shirts that I bought to freshen up. This one says “Hello”, I hope. My friend asked me if it was Korean, and I didn’t know. It would be fun if it said something stupid which I had no idea about (but Koreans would ;))

The winter is coming – and calling out for more layers and complication. But before it is here, I survive in jeans (I prefer skirts, but jeans are so easy in use), some shirts and cardigans. Adding some color (red is my favorite) to brighten up the mood.

And what about you? In which areas of life do you like to keep it simple? And in which – complicated? 🙂