TEN THINGS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT AS A MINIMALIST

WHY AM I A MINIMALIST?

MEET A TRANS WOMAN MINIMALIST IN THE PHILIPPINES

MY TEN FAVORITE ZERO WASTE ALTERNATIVES

THE PRINCIPLE OF FIFTEEN

A friend of mine asked me, "How do you ensure that you have the right amount of clothing as a minimalist." I answered, "The Principle of Fifteen."

So how does this work? I created the Principle of Fifteen in 2016 when I fully embraced minimalism. Usually, I would do my laundry every two weeks. This means that I have already used 14 pieces of clothing, let's say 14 shirts, if I use one shirt per day. If I do the laundry after two weeks, it means I need at least 14 pieces for me to survive, with one more shirt on my body as I do the laundry. This makes it 15.

The principle is simple. For as long as I have 15 pieces of each kind... shirts, shorts, pants, underwear... I will survive.

This number is always on my head as I open my closet. The moment I see one type of clothing exceeding 15, I responsibly donate the rest.

Should I buy a new one, I simply remove one from the closet. One in, one out.

And I maintain fifteen.

NOTHING BEATS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT EXCEPT LOVE WITH INSIGHT

In “One Woman’s Liberation,” Shirley Boone writes: “Talk about blind adoration! When Pat and I married, I was so much in love I didn’t have any sense at all. Pat has said in interviews that we married fully aware of the serious adjustments we’d have to make and the financial crises we’d face, but he was speaking strictly for himself. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t aware of anything except that he was wonderful and that life without him would be miserable.

“I understood exactly how Mary, Queen of Scots, must have felt when she said of James Bothwell, her third husband, ‘I’d follow him to the ends of the earth in my petticoat,’ because that’s how I felt about Pat… If Pat had suggested it, I would have gone with him to Timbuktu without batting an eye. He was my life. To me, he was perfect, and that was the beginning of our troubles, because anyone placed on a pinnacle can go in only one direction: down.”

Shirley and Pat Boone worked through their differences to create a strong and lasting marriage, but the beginning of their true success as a couple came when they each recognized this cardinal truth: nobody’s perfect.

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.

LOVE IS BEING WILLING TO FACE THE RISKS OF SEEING YOUR SPOUSE’S DREAMS COME TRUE

In their book, “My Lover, My Friend”, Colleen and Louis Evans, Jr. write: “David and Nancy Low are one of the most exciting young couples we have met since coming to Washington. He is a financial lawyer, and she is a top flight public relations administrator…”

“After working in another state for a well-known and respected political leader, Nancy was offered a very high position in a federal government agency. This opportunity was made even more exciting by the fact that it had never before been offered to a woman. David felt the offer was a high honor and urged Nancy to accept it. He was confident he could find a job in his field in Washington. So, submitting to Nancy’s career potential, they pulled up stakes and settled here.”

“Some men would be threatened by this type of situation. If a man wanted to prove that he didn’t need other people, if he were an “emotional do-it-yourselfer,” then he might resist the emergence of his wife’s career, especially if it were an outstanding one. But David is a strong man, eager and able to become a servant to Nancy’s development. That is healthy ‘headship’ and management.”

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.