Reliving Its Purpose

As a bibliophile, having my own library is the ultimate dream. I always tell my mom and the people I knew that it is one of my goals to have a number of books that will form a bookish paradise. I guess all bookworms can totally relate. So in order to achieve that goal, my mom supported me. During book shopping, my mom would help me buy the most interesting reads she could ever find from the sea of sale. Even people I knew would gift me the same thing and I highly appreciate them if the book is published by Penguin. I don't even know why I have this huge fascination with this publishing house. It's beyond happiness if I could ever find a treasure at a very affordable or the lowest price unimaginable.

Of course, the number of books I have grown as years passed by. From two-digit numbers became three digits and the book lover in me jumped for joy. However, this growing number also resulted in a growing number of to be read books. As I grow, my taste for genres and writing styles changed. But this didn't stop me from collecting books. 

Alas, minimalism came into my life. Decluttering my stuff was such a therapeutic experience but every time I'd look at my cabinet where my books sit peacefully, I'd shrugged the thought of decluttering it because it would mean that I am letting go of the dream of having a library. Having that goal in mind is such a heavenly thing to experience but looking at the growing piles of the printed word inside the cabinet, I became worried - worried that I won't have enough space for the future books to come. 

Then, my mom and I decided to move to another place for a convenient living especially for me in terms of transportation. Moving requires a lot of packing. In fact, it was also a light bulb moment for me. I grabbed this opportunity to start fresh on my minimalism journey so I could establish a room with only my essentials. I don't want to bring a lot of stuff when we move especially stuff that I no longer need so for the love of decluttering, I decided to face the most difficult task first which is to let go of my books.

Decluttering is a non-stop journey, my friend. For example, I'd give time to evaluate my wardrobe and I will always have something to let go of and later on, sell or give them away. When I said decluttering is a therapeutic task, it's indeed one, why? Because I let go of the stress that the particular object brings into my life and I earn cash from getting rid of it.

In order to accomplish letting go of my books, I thought of the WHY. Why would a bibliophile like me get rid of her books? Why would a bookworm like me let go of the dream of having a library? However, there's a catch. I didn't purposely let go of all of my books but only remove the books that I thought are:

1. no longer serves its purpose of giving me joy
2. haven't reread for a long time 
3. haven't read and don't have plans of reading because of lack of time or my taste for books already changed 
4. to form a new mindset of having a library - a library composed of worthy books and sparks joy into my life which is what Marie Kondo stated in her book, 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' and; 
5. Paulo Coelho wrote something in one of his books that he appreciates an old battered book than a new one because he knew that the old battered one lives its purpose which is to be read and touched by many.

I prepared a bag where I will put the books I have plans on giving away or selling and old papers that I'll be using as gift wrappers. There were books that were easily distinguished to be put into the bag and some were tough to decide whether to keep or not. If you have this kind of feeling, it means it's not worth keeping because you have that tiny pinch of doubt but if you're still hesitant, it's okay. You still have that bag and just put it there and if you didn't look for it in the coming days, then, you really don't need it.

One of the motivators for me to get rid of as many books as possible was the box where I will pack the books. A medium-sized box was provided for the books and I decided that I'd only use one box for all the books that I'll be bringing to the new apartment. I failed many times but the purpose of only having a well-curated library in mind kept me going until I was able to fill the box with books I'd love to keep and read.

So what happened to the books I got rid of? Well, as I've said earlier, I prepared old piles of paper when I was still in college and used it as gift wrappers. I also used old paper bags for some. The challenge was to find a new home for all of them. Not all people are book readers and the majority I knew here in the office find them boring or they don't like reading which makes me sad. I still have a lot to give but considering the number of books I was willing to give away decreased as each day passed by since each day, I'd discover someone worthy of having them.

Last month and yesterday, I gave books to my officemates, friends, and the daughter of my manicurist. One workmate is a close friend of mine and I gave him three novels. He told me a while ago while we were eating our lunch that he opened the package yesterday when he arrived at their house. He started reading The Brethren by John Grisham and little did he notice that he already read 30 pages and still wearing his uniform. My supervisor also heard our conversation and told me that she's halfway through the book I gave her.

I felt joy that I made someone happy with the same interest that I have and knowing that I let a book's purpose live made all the downsizing worth it. If I didn't give them away, then, they'd end up useless and sitting on my shelf for a long time.

If you're a book lover and owns a hundred books or maybe even more and want to pursue minimalism, it's okay to have that kind of massive collection so long as you feel happy and it gives value. As for my situation, some of my collections no longer serve me and in fact, it was already too overwhelming. I didn't regret giving them away. I repeat, so long as it serves you with value and joy, keep it! You can still pursue minimalism despite having that kind of collection.

Are you a book lover? Have you experienced downsizing your collection?