So I was living in the middle of a city here in Spain where people dont sleep. LOl... usually very noisy especially in the day time and even at nights. My apartment? A war zone, it was a mess. Clothes strewn about like confetti after New Year's LOL - you know all those close you impulse buy because they look good on the model... When I was buying these cloths, I swore I'd wear them. Books? Don't get me started. Stacks on stacks, collecting more dust than a forgotten attic. I kept telling myself, "I'll read 'em when I have time." Ha! I wish.

My social calendar looked like a game of Tetris on steroids. Always out, always on and always trying to squeeze in one more thing. Not wanting to miss out on the fun had me in a chokehold, I tell ya. I thought I was living large and having fun, you know? But there was this... itch... imagine wearing a shirt with the tag still on... that's the feeling - something just wasn't sitting right.

[Took this city skyline picture from my window]

Then bam! One night, I'm scrolling through social media (you know, when you're supposed to be sleeping but your thumb has other ideas), and this post about minimalism pops up. At first, I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, another fad." But then... it clicked. It wasn't just about cleaning up your space, it was about making your life simpler and focusing on the stuff that really matters. And that's when the lightbulb lit up... "What if I could do this with my social life too?"

The next weekend, I decided to give it a shot. Next invite that pinged my phone, instead of my usual "Hell yeah, I'll be there" I actually... paused. Asked myself, "Do I really wanna go, or am I just scared of missing out?" Turns out, half the time, I'd rather be home watching boring movies. So I started saying no. Felt like I was breaking some unwritten rule at first. Kept thinking, "They're gonna stop asking eventually." But you know what? It felt good. Like taking off shoes that've been pinching your feet all day. The relieve is so refreshing.

Suddenly, I had time. Like, actual free time. And I started hanging with my real friends. Not the "see you at the club" kinda friends, but the ones who know your coffee order by heart... my true friends. We'd have these nights, just a handful of us, some good grub, talks that went deeper than the Mariana Trench. Man, those nights were something else. Laughing till your cheeks hurt, sharing stuff you wouldn't tell your therapist, making memories that stick with you like gum on a shoe.

[Outing time... took a picture of one of my favorite sunglasses]

There was this one night - we dug out these really old looking board games. I'm talking Monopoly with half the properties missing, Scrabble tiles that looked like hieroglyphics. We made popcorn (burnt it, actually, but hey, that's part of the fun), cracked open some drinks, and just... played. For hours. No phones buzzing, no "gotta go to the next thing." Just us, being ridiculously competitive over the board games.

But here's the kicker - I started digging my alone time too. Like, really digging it. I'd spend a whole weekend in hermit mode. Reading books I'd been meaning to get to since... forever. Cooking stuff that wasn't just microwaved and binge-watching shows. Going down Wikipedia rabbit holes at 3 AM. And you know what? It was bliss.

Course, not everyone got it. Some friends were like, "where've you been? Witness protection?" And yeah, I felt bad for some time. But then I realized - I just gotta do me. So I started being real with them about this minimalism life style I was on.

Funny thing is, some of them were actually intrigued. We started having these deep conversations into what actually matters in life. And those friendships? They leveled up and became stronger.

Bit by bit, my social life did a 180. I had these solid, real-deal connections with people who actually were dear to me. And solo time? Golden. Each hangout, each convo felt like it meant something. Yeah, I was doing less, but man, it hit different.

So here I am, realizing that sometimes, less is actually more. By focusing on minimalism, I didn't just cleaned my closet, I simplified my whole life for the better. It's wild how one little idea can change everything for the better.

Looking back, I can see how this whole minimalism has helped me find some clarity and happiness, not just in my physical space, but in my social life as well.

Thanks for reading!

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