Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The premise

On New Year's Day, we sat around reflecting on the past few days we'd spent in Victoria, BC with friends Sarah and Luke.  Our friend Luke's parents are both ordained monks who live fairly simply -- they'd somehow survived for decades without some of our favorite kitchen accessories.  This led to a discussion of what we really needed.  Which led to a discussion of surprising credit card bills and how there was always something to make each month's statement higher than need be.  Which led to a discussion about everything we already have.  Which led to Erin's suggestion that we don't buy anything non-consumable in 2013.

Is that even possible?

We weren't sure, but decided that, yes, probably, it was.  Given a bit longer to think about it, we decided the point of the experiment was actually about living with less.  It's not just about money.  It's about being more self-sufficient, less wasteful, having less clutter/bottles/boxes around, etc.

It's not about changing the world single-handedly, nor about martyrdom or instilling fear or guilt about our (and others') choices and actions.  Rather, our year of less will be about bringing more authenticity into our lives.  It will give us the opportunity to align our values with our actions.  We value autonomy and sustainability.  We care about reducing our environmental impact, making wise purchases, and saving for what's really important to us (family, friends, travel, and a future home) -- only using/taking what we need, being grateful for what we have, and trying to leave things a little better than when when found them. 

So there we go.  In 2013, we live with less.  We don't know exactly what this year will bring, but hope that whatever crazy project we undertake, we will achieve one or more of these things:

1. Simplify.  Our lives are busy and complex enough as it is.  We crave a simpler path.
2. Use Less.  We, admittedly, consume more than we need.  We want to understand this better and change what we can.
3. Share More.  We are so fortunate and have far more than what we need. We want to share what we can.

How do we do this?  For starters:
No (wherever possible) capital expenditures (including books -- arghh!).
No takeaway coffees.
No purchased alcohol.
When running out of any household product, rethink the next step.
Etcetera (this list will constantly evolve).

1 comment:

  1. Love this! No only does it mean you're stepping more lightly on this earth, but living more simply makes us bump into all sorts of habits and attitudes that are fun to explore.

    I really resonate with the whole book issue. Although I rarely buy because that is the death knell for me ever reading that book (who knows why), I love to buy the ones that I want to read again and again.

    As part of my simplifying strategy I've managed to cut my library use from 40 at a time to just under 6. I don't really need 40 books out at a time. When I pay attention to my perceived need for more, it seems like it's just a distraction from what is really going on which is the need to feed my spirit. This I can do by going for a walk in the garden, biking down to the waterfront,or just being mindful.

    BTW most library websites have a 'for later' button so you can keep a list of the books you want to read eventually.

    Kudos to you both. This sounds like a wonderful adventure. I already have plans to use your shampoo recipe.
    Soshin

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