It's been a while since I've written an entry, and that's because I have so many running around in my brain that I'm trying to settle into one coherent entry, so this is where I'll start.
There is a mission here for the month of August and it comes from this blog entry. I'm only going to start with a small portion of it and take it piece by piece and the first step is the purging of stuff. As Americans we have (on average) too much stuff and that stuff makes us forget to concentrate on really what matters so the goal is to rid the house of 5 things per occupant per week (amounting in a total of 40 items over the course of the month). There are books that I will never read again that are just taking up space, there are papers, notebooks, games, bags, boxes, etc... things in the basement that haven't been opened in years (I don't even remember what's packed into some boxes). So over the course of August we are going to start by getting rid of some of them. In the grand scheme of things, 40 things is probably not that much in this house that has thousands, but purging little by little is easier than getting rid of everything at once.
The other side of getting stuff out is not bringing stuff in. I have tried to become more and more conscious of what I'm buying. Do I really need it? Will it enhance my life? Asking these two questions before making a purchase has really lessened the amount of stuff I buy. Instead of buying books, I borrow them from the library, instead of buying new clothes I "shop" my closet for things I haven't worn in a while. Of course I need to purchase consumables but when it comes to the purchase of stuff I weigh the need vs. the want.
Buying stuff for the sake of stuff is like eating for the sake of eating or taking a drug that you really don't need. It is attempting to fill a hole that is there for another reason. Through the journey I've taken with food I have learned there are days when a hole needs to be filled and instead of facing what is making that hole in my emotional well-being I will stuff it with some other meaningless item: a new purse, a bag of potato chips, etc... So part of this journey towards simplification is also a journey towards better understanding. What is it that I REALLY want when I want to buy something? What else am I lacking? What void needs to be filled? Because the instant gratification of buying a new shirt is awesome but when that wears off, the hole will still be there.
So as this new month approaches, onto the simplification of things and a purposefulness behind purchases.
