“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” -Will Rogers, 1879.
We spend so much of our lives acquiring things. Part of being in capitalistic society, is we are brought up to believe that we should want the most beautiful house in the established neighborhood, in the city you want to live in, with a car that can take you to and from the hottest restaurants and shows. We buy bespoke belongings to fill our new homes, purses, jackets, and clothes to embody the style we wish to portray the world. And then something shifts.
There is a point reached in our lives, where this starts to reverse. We realize that our death is inevitable. Some people die with all of their things, and their children or loved ones must begin to sort through it all. I have heard stories from people close to me, who lost their parents, and now was left with the responsibility to sort and rid of the belongings in a home, and then eventually sell the home. A burden is placed on others, and what was once sentimental is now trash.
Yet some are opting to explore this world of minimalism, prior to retirement. How can we live more with less while we are alive? It’s interesting, I am observing my mother as she is making plans with her husband to return to the Philippines in the next 3-5 years. She is someone who is a bit of a luxury goods hoarder, a shopaholic that doesn’t know how to stop. And now she is facing the reality that she must start to downsize. Sell those expensive purse collection she has been building to bring into the reality the life she truly wants.
There’s an irony that we spend so much of our lives in accumulation and building the tangible objects we own. Then a point in life is reached, where the dial is switched and we begin to rid ourselves that of which was accumulated. I couldn’t help but think, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to not go through this consumerism only to move towards minimalism?” The process of desiring more and more leads us to remain in jobs that do not bring us joy or purpose, only to pay off that which exists in our homes. But maybe this is the learning experience we are meant to have in this lifetime. We are meant to discern what is most valuable to us, versus being sold and living in alignment to what society says we should want. So much of life is the unlearning of this all.
“Simplify your closet by eliminating these 33 annoying things,” this was the title of an email I received this week by Courtney Carver author of Project 333. For 3 months she chose to wear only 33 items in her closet, many people have embraced this project in their own lives. But instead this email encouraged people to get rid of 33 things. Self projects like this challenge us to see what is necessary in our lives. It’s not just letting go of things, but not replacing them. At the same time, its leaving space for opportunities, ideas, or simply a sense of openness to emerge. I encourage each of us to look into our homes, and simply see what is truly needed, what can be discarded or donated, and notice what arises. Rinse and repeat!
It Only Takes A Smile 