I've been living in my summertime bubble since 5:08 p.m. on May 16. Just like the opening credits on "Get Smart" where he walks down a hall and steel doors shut behind him.That's how quickly I turn toward my summers,my alter-ego life.But, it's at this time of my vacation I begin to have a few teeny regrets,that maybe I haven't done all I planned to do(this is ALWAYS the case!).I have such a great burst of organizational energy at the beginning. We are planning a renovation which should have begun the first of July. So, in May, I packed up my books, sent truckloads of stuff to second-hand stores and the salvation army. I've been living spartan-like upstairs. I think it's been a good thing. Every few days I realize just how little it takes for me to be happy in a space. I think I'm going to go "all zen" on myself when they finish the upstairs. This will be in direct contrast to my ability to clutter, to keep things just in case.I am my own worst enemy, ya'll! My mind says "zen it up, girl" but my actions say "keep it, keep it, for heaven's sake, keep it!".I could psycho-analyze this behavior as a remnant of being moved around so much as the child of a preacher,the desire to hold on to the familiar. It's daring to live in a minimal way,a radical contrast to what society tells us. I am easily manipulated by advertising and I've found the best cure is to ignore it as much as possible. I try to avoid shopping and am coming into awareness of the detriment of spending too much, having too much. The richness of life should be your interior, not your exterior. Our society is about the labels and the way things look and cost. It can so quickly become our identities.Granted,my most recent blog entry was about the joys of ebay. But for me, that's improvement. I'm trying to go for spending less and I believe the transition is gradual to leaving less of a "materialistic footprint" on earth.Anyone else tired of the manipulation of advertising,tired of all the "stuff"?
2 comments:
Thanks for that post Susie! I came to the realization that less is more when I decided I wanted to buy a house. Being a single mother, I did not want to over extend myself with a huge mortgage, but had a hard time finding anything within my price range. I finally found something a three bedroom, one bath. It is small, no it's tiny compared to the houses going up, but as energy prices continue to soar I am so thankful. God knows what's best even when we don't.
When I decided to move from OKC to MS, I found that I'd accumulated a lot of stuff. I donated more than half of it and vowed to never do that again. Of friend of mine in OKC was always stressing the "simple life" mantra and now I know what she meant. I enjoy my small space and have found that as long as I have a good book, cable, and food, I'm happy!
Amen to that, Crystal! Thanks for the encouragement. I've got some conspicuous consumption in my "hard drive" but I'm trying to be more aware.See you soon!
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