As recently (and frequently) posted, materialism's been on my mind a lot recently. I'm happy to report that some real and decent progress has been made against it . . . and, as is always the case, it feels really good.
With a theme of "reduce, reduce, reduce" on our minds, my wife and I have spent time over the past month going through our (and the kids') things. I've sold a half-dozen games and a few soccer shirts; she's sold some small furniture and even a stroller. We've donated a bunch of clothing and toys, and thrown out a bit more. All told, we've made over $400, but more importantly, we've taken a step in the right direction. Perhaps best of all, we have more mental peace than we've had in a while.
The cost of ownership exceeds an object's actual value. Time to clean, space to store, (perhaps) money to upkeep, and time to use all have costs associated with them. That last bit has been my biggest revelation here. If you're like me, and have stuff sitting around that you haven't used in years (or ever), there's a subtle stress level associated with it. Every time I'd look at a few games I never play, for example, I'd think I need to get around to them some time. Every unread book- I need to read that. Every unwatched movie- I should do that soon. You get the picture. As I looked around and made these observations, I'd get (a tiny bit) stressed. There's so much to do. Really? Well, yes, there is a lot to do, but making sure I use all my stuff shouldn't be a high priority, and the fact that its presence was causing me grief is (in hindsight) laughable. I was keeping so much "because I might use it some day." Well, I didn't, so I got rid of it. And man does it feel good.
I haven't been cleaning out just material things. Travel goals have also been shrinking. I really don't need to see it all, and reducing my travel list- crossing off dozens of items- has lifted a burden I didn't realize I had. Will we travel? Yes, of course- we live overseas and want to take advantage of it. But do we need to do it all, or do it often? Of course not. And not even trying has made me settle down, focus on those few trips I really want to do, and enjoy things more. You can't do it all- so why bother trying? That's not what life is about.
Even digital things have been going down. Apps are down to "bare bones." No need to have dozens of things "just because." eBooks are shrinking. Library use is growing. With some contemplation, I realized that I was using digital media as a haven for materialism. Sure, there's no observable clutter in the house due to having 30 more apps than I need, but there's the aforementioned stress of not using what I can access.
"The joy of less" is obvious to those who practice it. It hurts to get started- just like weight loss (which, by the way, is also going well- down 11 pounds so far on my quest to lose 20). But, like losing the body flab, the advantage of losing the material flab soon feels better than the sting of getting rid of it. My bureau closes more easily. My bookshelf isn't as overrun. My game area is cleaner and contains just my favorites- the ones I've actually played. I have more money in my wallet. My mind is more at peace. I enjoy the "little things"- like playing with my children- more, which is good, because those are the big things.
Am I there yet? No. Nowhere near. I still buy things; I still put too much value in the material. But I'm in the right direction, and it feels good. Give it a try some time.
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