My accidental up-brining and my intentional growth and travel as an adult have taught me a great deal. I have learned how to live comfortably with less... If I can, I know we each can.
I have seen people around the world with more smiles and kinder heart who have virtually nothing but each other. the human spirit is incredible and we can nurture our community and our spirit by
living with less.
The modern world has encouraged us to consume a lot, desire a lot and waste a lot. I know that I especially grew extremely attached to the things that i owned... a fortunate set of events this past year arranged for me to part with nearly everything I had owned and acquired. It was a remarkable process to let everything go. It was a challenge at times, but the result was amazing … and continues to fill me with a sense of calm… ( or something nearly impossible to express… but like that)
I have moved to a new country and have not replaced most of the things that I have learned to live without. I am living simply. And it is almost a cliché. There is a magazine that you can order that tells all about how to live simply … and all the products you can buy to simplify your life… WHAT IRONY> I think that is where we all have it wrong.
And I am not advocating we all renounce our belongings and become nomadic, but there is something to be said for really examining our lives and habits to see what is essential what is important, what is real in each of our lives.
I think it is even as simple as eating a little less. We treat or bodies like we treat our homes; we fill them with crap, most of which we don’t need and can easily live without. And that stuff follows us around. I am really speaking mostly of myself. But when we let go of it, and look closely at what we bring in then things change.
So to list my ideas… and THINGS THAT I REALLY DO:
*Eat less, maybe two meals a day, OR just several snacks
*Re-use every bag. I will never buy trash bags in my life.
*Turn off the lights
*Turn off the air conditioning. (when I use it at all I cool the house for an hour in the morning and then it stays cool all day.
*Put on a sweater before turning up the heat
*I host COUCH SURFERS.- I let travelers stay at my house. I have more space than I need and it creates a little family.
*I am cautious and conscientious of what I buy EVERY TIME>
*I wear my clothes more than once before washing them- maybe it sounds dirty, but dirty is a relative concept.
*I don’t own a TV and I don’t watch it… I don’t want to share my mind space with advertisements.
*I sweep my floor
*I don’t through away food.
*I share my ideas with people I know
*I am willing to make mistakes, fuck it up and try again. I am not perfect, don’t intend to be, but I want something better for my children and your children.
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