I have been interested in minimalism for a while. Before I started reading up on it, I figured it mostly meant getting rid of most of your stuff and having a beautiful, but mostly empty house. WRONG. I am all in for functional minimalism, which means that you just get rid of the extra. You are mindful of what you are buying. I recently added one more part to this definition: using the special stuff.

See, here was my problem. It is a problem I’ve had all my life. I would get something (usually as a gift) and I would save it because it was special. That meant I had notebooks I would never write in, fancy clothes I would never wear, and toys I never played with. This problem has followed me into adulthood.

But I recently had a realization. I needed to use the special stuff and enjoy it instead of stashing it away to be safe. My daughter helped me realize this. See, most kids love using their special stuff. Mac has been wanting to wear her special, fancy Christmas dress on a normal day.

At first, I balked. It was special! It wasn’t meant for a school day where it might get dirty! What was she thinking?

Then I realized that she was right. When else was she going to wear it? It probably won’t fit next year for Christmas. Should it just hang in her closet until I decide to get rid of it because it no longer fits? No! It should be worn and enjoyed!

So I started to apply that to my own life. My grandmother is so incredibly handy that she is always knitting or crocheting. She crocheted a queen size bed cover and gave it to me. It was so beautiful that I was afraid of putting it on my bed. I mean, I frequently have children in my bed who can’t always control their bodily fluids. What if something happened to it?

Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it because I finally took it out of the bag and spread it on my bed. And every single time I look at it, it makes me happy. My grandma made it to be used and so I am using it.

When I sat down to write this post, I was reminded of an exchange from Home Alone 2 when Kevin is talking to the Bird Lady.

Bird Lady: I’m just afraid if I do trust someone, I’ll get my heart broken.

Kevin McCallister: I understand. I had a nice pair of rollerblades. I was afraid to wreck them, so I kept them in a box. Do you know what happened? I outgrew them. I never wore them outside. Only in my room a few times.

Bird Lady: A person’s heart and feelings are very different than skates.

Kevin McCallister: They’re kind of the same thing. If you won’t use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it’ll be like my rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won’t be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose.

Whether it is something physical like rollerblades or something more metaphorical like a person’s heart and emotions, it is made to be used. So use it!

I’ve decided to document my adventures in using the special things in my life. The first thing I’ve done is create a hashtag where you can follow along and use on your own adventure into using special things. You can follow me on Instagram. I will hashtag my special things with #usethespecialeveryday. Follow along and contribute.

The second thing I’ve done is create a free, 7 day email challenge so you can start using your special too. Just put your email address in the box below, hit subscribe, and you’ll see me in your inbox soon!