Is simplicity minimalism?

I am cat sitting in a big house and it is all too MUCH!

That house is full, the garage is full, the basement is full and there are about twenty balls from the kids in the garden. A case of mixing up quantity with quality of life.

All this stuff needs to be organized, stored, cared for and, above all, used. Objects just stay where they fall. It's freakin' me out!

The house was starting to smell so I had to clean out the cat toilet. Errm, I didn't feel much like breakfast after that. The cats bring me lovely, heart-warming gifts like half-dead moles to appreciate. So I need to get rid of those somehow, too. And to think I used to love getting presents!

It's not like I don't appreciate the love for pets. But they surely don't fit into my lifestyle. 

I prefer to take care of things that don't stink - like the flowers on my balcony. Yet I have to find someone who plant-sits when I take a trip. At least in the summer. Minimalism would mean no plants or only cacti, I suppose.

Is simplicity minimalism? Can you feel joyous without owning masses of stuff or animals? 

I've offered a bedroom to airbnb. My first guest comes this evening. I hope it works out well. Even though I've cut back on stuff, I still have the statues that please me. Otherwise, I don't have much to take if someone decides to steal. Oh well, let's not assume the worst...

Still, polishing up the room for my guest, I became aware of the "too-manys" - shoes and clothes and the shelves or closets to store them. My pledge - I shall pare down to one clothes closet and discard the shoes I don't wear at all. Confession: I still have an extra clothes rack full of THINGS. Yes, my closet runneth over.