Where It Started
It started over Labour Day weekend, actually, getting the pantry and fridge ready in town for us to move back in. Once that was done I found myself asking the question over and over: where else could I create more space? More ease? Not by forcing it, just quietly ticking off one small area at a time.
The Closet
Adam, my husband, counted the other day. Thirty pairs of shoes, just at the cottage, and every single one of them mine. And that's the count he could actually see. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about the rest.
He wasn't wrong to count. I've been on a bit of a mission this week, bags to the thrift store, closets I haven't really looked at in years finally getting looked at. A stylist came in to help me build a packing capsule for our upcoming trip to Europe and do a proper fall/winter reset while she was at it, and somewhere in the middle of pulling things off hangers I realized this wasn't really about clothes at all.
It's about leaning into ease this fall. Creating some spaciousness, in the closet and everywhere else I could find it.
The Freezer (and the Spice Drawer, and Someday the Garage)
The freezer was next. Over the summer we shifted to buying what we needed every other day instead of one big haul, and I loved it, it felt lighter, more in tune with the season, buying only what we'd actually use. But the freezer had been quietly filling up long before that shift, and it never really got the same treatment. So I've been trying to bring that same intentional energy to it, using the protein before we buy anything new, cooking from what we have instead of what sounds good in the moment. I say trying because it's not perfect, I'm that person who sees a cool recipe somewhere and pivots the whole plan on the spot, ingredients be damned. But even with the detours, I'm getting there, and once I started, I couldn't stop, the spice drawer got the same treatment. The garage is next on the list, not done yet, but it's coming.
I feel it comes from my conditioning. My parents had a deep freeze that was always full, always more than enough for the whole neighbourhood. That was just how things were done, keep it stocked full, meat, produce, and lots of bread. I grew up thinking a full freezer was a sign of a well run house. It's taken me a while to realize that for me, right now, a little more empty space in there feels better than a little more full. (I mean, there's probably something in there older than Methuselah.) Different generation, different season of life, different version of what "enough" looks like.
The Deck
Spaciousness is one half of it. Ease is the other, and that's where our back deck comes in. We're lucky to have a hot tub and a sauna, with a creek right there below us. It's already a beautiful spot, and I don't take that for granted. What I'm after now isn't clearing anything out, it's making it so cosy and inviting that we're always finding a reason to be out there. Steam rising off the hot tub, the sound of the creek underneath it all, string lights, somewhere to land with a blanket and a book. Not more stuff, just more ease built into a space we're already grateful for.
One More Small Ritual
The car wash does something similar for me, oddly enough. There's something about sitting in the quiet while it works, watching the water and suds slide off, coming out the other side clean. It's a small, almost silly ritual, but it clears my head every single time.
That's really what this whole week has been. Spaciousness and ease, showing up in a closet, a freezer, a deck, even a car wash. Making room where I can, and softening into the room I've already got.
Carrying It Into Europe
All of this circles right back to that Europe trip and the capsule wardrobe we built for it. I want to travel light and easy this time, not because I'm forcing myself to do more with less, but because I'm learning that less really does create more room to actually enjoy what's in front of me. The closet, the freezer, the deck, even the suitcase.
Turns out creating space was never really about getting rid of things. It's about leaning into the ease that comes after, and making room for the life I actually want to be living in it.
Lots of love,
Marsha
