never.

Telling people about minimalism has become nearly as educational as the act itself. The conversation tends to go something like this...

Me: Minimalism! I'm giving away all of my worldly goods! Blahblahblahblahblah.

Them: (genuine surprise) Wow! That's...wow!

Me: I am happier than I've ever been.

Them: (big smile) That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you.

Me: Thanks. Seriously, aside from getting a good education and marrying my husband, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

Them: (wistfully) I could never do it, but it sounds amazing.

Never. Nearly every person I engage in conversation about minimalism responds very positively to the concept...and then tells me they could never, ever do it.

Look, I'm not about to become some kind of minimalist evangelist. You do you, m'kay? But the fact that so many people react so adamantly against the idea of giving away their stuff is really kind of fascinating. Where does that idea come from? How does our attachment to our stuff become so hardwired that we think we could never, ever live without it?

Think of it this way: If the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow, what (besides your zombie-fighting gear, of course) would you really need? Those are your necessities. Everything else is just frosting; stuff that is nice to have, and probably makes your life a bit more fun and convenient. But could you live without it? Of course you could. Most of us (myself included) don't want to strip down to the bare essentials. But that's not to say we couldn't, if the need arose.

Human beings are amazingly resilient creatures. Time and time again, we learn to adapt to changing environments and given circumstances. It's what we do. I'm not saying you need to be a minimalist. I'm not even saying you should give away a single item you own. All I'm saying is to give yourself a little more credit. You are not a never. You can do anything you set your mind to doing.

If the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow, I'm betting on you.