In our modern society, we are constantly being conditioned through advertising to want newer, “better,” bigger, etc. Consumption and the desire for “more” drive our economic system. I have to admit, that I have allowed myself to get caught up in that conditioning many times during my life. For example, one of my lifelong passions is astronomy. A few months back, I was going through all my gear and realized that I had one telescope, brand new, that I had never used. I also had another, even larger, telescope that I hadn’t used for three years. My discovery made me anxious, and I started to feel guilty that I hadn’t been using those telescopes. The problem was that I had other telescopes I used on a regular basis. I decided to sell both of those instruments.
I’m currently downsizing my sizeable rock and mineral collection—accumulated over many decades of field collecting. Why I ever thought I needed so many specimens of the same species when a few would have sufficed is almost comical at this point. At any rate, I’m helping a lot of young people start their own collections, which brings me a lot of joy.
Years ago, I was channel surfing after a long day of work and stumbled on a series about minimalist living. I was intrigued, so I continued watching. The people featured on the show had divested themselves of most of their Earthly possessions—some moving into tiny homes with under 300 square feet! As these minimalists each described why they had decided on such a lifestyle, some of their reasoning resonated with me.
One man said that he got tired of feeling forced to stay in a high-paying job he hated in order to make payments on his “McMansion.” A family said they were tired of maintaining and storing recreational vehicles they hardly ever used. There were many other perspectives presented. One overriding theme was the desire to simplify life to leave more time for things that really mattered to them. That reasoning made a lot of sense. I am old enough now to look back over decades of living and realize that life is indeed a “short trip” and each day is a precious gift.
It amazes me, when I think about how much of my life has been spent in desiring, saving for, buying, learning how to use, storing, maintaining, repairing, worrying about losing, etc., material things. Sometimes I wonder, “Could some of that time been spent doing more of what really matters to me like further developing my talents, building relationships—and simply enjoying the wonder of being alive?” The answer is a humble “Yes.”
These days, I try to be more grateful and content with what I already have. I work hard to differentiate between wants and needs (I’m getting better!). As I work to simplify my life, I find that I’m trading stress for joy—what a deal!
#happiness #simplifyyourlife #joyfulliving #prioritiesfirst #simplelife #contentment