When my husband and I arrived home late yesterday evening, it dawned on me that we had been traveling for the better part of two months. We’d been gone nearly 45 days and never had more than three or four days at home before we were off again. And one lone suitcase was all we took the entire time (besides our laptop bags with work materials).
So if all we needed for that long fit inside one suitcase (of appropriate carry-on size), why do we have a house full of stuff? And maybe that’s why traveling is relaxing: because it forces us to simplify our lives?
In his book It’s All Too Much, Peter Walsh says, “There’s a stuff epidemic in this country. We live in one of the most prosperous nations on earth, and we measure our success by material accumulation. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to buy more. Love your kids? Prove it by giving them the best clothes, games, sports paraphernalia, or the latest video game system. Just got a raise or a better job? Time to show it off with a bigger TV or a flashy new car or more (and expensive) clothes.”
Naturally, I decided to do a Google search to see who else was talking about “stuff.” I found an interesting clip from the movie Fight Club that I had missed when I watched the movie. There’s even a Buy Nothing Day. But one of the more interesting posts was about David Bruno and his 100 Thing Challenge. He describes it as his own little effort to combat growing consumerism. Aside from the obvious challenge of narrowing his possessions, I found a few aspects of his “rules” particularly interesting.
- Gifts: He’s clearly asked his friends and relatives not to buy him gifts. What if we all gave time with each other or a great memory as gifts instead of stuff?
- Replacing: What if we all had to determine what item we would give away before we purchased something new?
I can’t say that I’m willing to go for the 100 items yet, but I think I am motivated to really think about what I have versus what I need. And I’m certain that I will view shopping differently. After all, how much “stuff” do we really need? What do you think?
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I recently moved in with my boyfriend… the thing is, I was living there for almost 2 months with just 2 drawers of clothes, and a quarter of my closet! So when I started moving out of my place, I tried to get rid of as much as possible.
Mark (the BF) was astonished when the 2 bags of clothes and 1 huge bag of shoes were the donation pile, as opposed to the one bag of clothes and 1 small bag of shoes that was coming with us. I felt bad for even keeping that much… I think another cleanout might happen.
I have to admit, it always feels good to shluff off all that stuff. Buddhism says that material possessions are just another way that we cling to life. Maybe that’s why less stuff always feels more freeing!