Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.
The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.
I Wore a Black Dress Every Day For a Week — And It Changed How I Look At My Closet | This Is Insider by Lindsay Mack. The basic idea is that uniforms allow you to spend less time and effort putting together outfits, so you have more resources for the other areas in your life.
To Cure Affluenza, We Have To Be Satisfied With The Stuff We Already Own | The Guardian by Richard Denniss. We have been trained to love the thrill of buying new stuff. We love things not for their material function, but for the symbolic act of acquiring and possessing them.
Wellbeing Enhanced More By Places Than Objects, Study Finds | The Guardian by Caroline Davies. Research using brain scans finds people experience feelings of contentment from places more than from objects such as photographs or wedding rings.
In general terms, I get it. I’m drowning in 6,000 sq.ft. of stuff from three people with the attic and basement, and a rather large chunk of it can just be trashed. I don’t have a problem with separating from most of it, and I’ve never bought into the big houses with high costs, taxes and maintenance. My car is 14 years old, too.
Having said all that, what happens to our economy when or if a chunk of us start living small–especially from the beginning? If this extends to income, less will be earned, taxed, spent and invested, but it won’t stop people from demanding everything from hundreds of thousands in a free education to even more in healthcare over a lifetime. Let me be clear, I’m not talking about going into debt for stuff, but the further left you go on the political spectrum, the more people demand from local, state and federal governments. I’m just wondering how many jobs could be lost along with less tax revenue to pay for the other stuff that people will want.
Perfect! Back in the olden days, I read the Simple Living site that is no longer. Thank goodness you came along! XO
Thanks for a great roundup of reads to make me think! I especially enjoyed the tiny house and consumerism articles. It doesn’t matter how much I clean out if my attitude, ideas and goals don’t follow.
My Winter project… Have to paint the house, so decluttering is a definite! I am tired of looking at stuff. Piles here and there .shoes I really can’t wear anymore… keep saying well a wedding might come up etc….. In the process of sorting out :-)Christmas decorations.
LOL, just tackled my Christmas ornaments the other day. It’s amazing how they add up. They especially do when you go from a huge tree to a table top. The beautiful wreaths are being donated this week.
One of my favorite posts ever! I especially found meaning in the article regarding “topohililia.” I have experienced this in many places, but didn’t have a word to express my feelings. My favorite place is the view of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley after driving through the tunnel. It never fails to take my breath away. Thanks!!
Loved the affluenza post. I have committed my long weekend to doing a major household purge, so it is timely! Thanks for providing inspiration on my minimalist journey.
I went to private school for my elementary education, and always had to wear a school uniform. Then I went to public high school and could wear whatever I liked. The freedom was nice, but I wasted time deciding what to wear. The uniforms made life simpler and stress free.
One day at a time and no day without God.
I am working on purging, I have half the clothes I had in August. We have returned from a cruise and packing was a breeze- 20 minutes and done. Now the hard work begins, getting other members to follow
Thank you for always finding some interesting articles. I enjoy the “Weekend Reads” very much.
I have been looking for a specific article from an earlier “Weekend Reads” but without any luck. In the article the writer (I believe it’s a woman) uses Middlemarch by George Eliot as a reference and talks about the lives and choices of the two main characters.
If anyone remember this article please help me out, because I simply can’t find it.
Thanks.
❤ love
In reference to the affluenza piece, I’d say the cure is less about being aware of what you own (albeit still important), and more about exploring your community and its crucial needs, specifically social determinants of health and basic necessities of life.
By focusing on our “stuff” to combat affluenza, that’s still making it about us, and less about others, which is the real problem with affluenza. Affluenza doesn’t comprehend what it really is, which is an absence of true empathy for those less well off.
Perhaps the author doesn’t fully understand the subject he’s writing about, or perhaps he should have chosen a different word other than “cure” to match the subtitle, which is partially an altogether separate topic.
The definition of affluenza is as follows: “a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation.”
I won’t go into detail what I do for a living, but I have a team that reports to me that travels the Commonwealth of Virginia and identifies the barriers and concerns within each region for the rural and urban poor, be it food insecurity, access to health care, transportation barriers, stigma surrounding mental health, etc. among other responsibilities.
We take this information and then devise a strategy on how to address these concerns region by region, community by community, and collaborate with community organizations and non-profits to bring the necessary resources to people in need where they live.
And I can say this much: if volunteering x amount of hours were mandatory in the U.S., we’d have a far more loving society. Many people in the U.S. are simply oblivious to what is going on in their communities, nor do they proactively seek out volunteer work that addresses social determinants of health. Money is fine and volunteering at church is fine, but roll your sleeves up for a change America.
Research social determinants of health in your city or county and find out how you can become involved.
By seeing this first hand, and it’s easy to do if someone chooses, the term affluenza would be far less relevant than it is today.
The first step to cure affluenza is to step out of your front door, not by stepping into your walk-in closet.
Very well said! Thank you.
Important words, thanks!
No one knows their community like a church, and no one is as charitable as churches overall. No, I’m not an active churchgoer at the moment. In a disaster, the first people that usually arrive on the scene are the Mormoms and Southern Baptists followed by Wal Mart, and they tend to get there before the professionals known as FEMA, and the Red Cross. Government has a horrific track record when it comes to getting something done in an efficient manner, and it certainly won’t be done economically.