Our youngest child went off to college last Fall making us Empty Nesters. My task for the next few months? Decluttering so my husband and I can downsize to a smaller place. Inexperienced at an entire household declutter, I Googled ‘decluttering’, ‘simple living’, etc. and, among other things, up popped Erin Boyle’s blog, Reading My Tea Leaves. I found hints on decluttering and set up my “trash”, “Goodwill”, “think about” and “keep” piles, then set to work sorting 28 years of worth of detritus, accumulated while raising kids. And while I decluttered …. I also got hooked on Erin’s Blog: her beautiful writing style, her ideas, and her photography.
Erin Boyle’s book, Simple Matters includes a few of her best blog essays, and also, a series of brand new essays. The book is not merely about decluttering, but about embracing a simpler lifestyle in the broadest sense of the word. As Erin puts it, “We can’t maintain a clutter-free home if we don’t also change our approach to accumulation in the first place.” Or how about this gem? “We’re under the false impression that we’re not in control of our spaces, when the opposite is true.” Woven throughout the book are simple statements like the aforementioned, containing profound thoughts about our American lifestyle: does accumulating things make us happier? do the ethics of clothes companies we buy from, matter? does your physical clutter translate to mental clutter; feeling overwhelmed? do the things we own work for the space they inhabit in our house? If you stop and think about her questions you’ll see that, not only are they good for the Earth, they are transformative for the way we discern what we want in our homes and in our lives. Erin is doing all of us a favor by challenging the status quo: “more is more” …. brought to you by corporate ad men, who are paid to get us to spend.
In response to her own questions, Erin offers us ideas to try. Not MarthaStewartComplicated ideas to try, but ideas that are doable. She provides resources for personal care items that don’t contain harmful chemicals, clothes that are ethically sourced, stores that sell quality products that don't break your bank account, gift ideas that are 'home made' and, dare I say, classy, etc. The book is dense with information, and this girl makes a whole lot of sense. As I looked at photos of Erin’s little daughter playing with wooden toys, then looked at the bizarre colors and bizarre-er faces of my daughter’s old, plastic Polly Pockets - sitting in the Goodwill pile - I knew at some deep level that Erin’s suggestions were worth considering. This is a wonderful book; an important book - and I truly hope many people will read and consider the ideas she offers us.
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