by oompa 15 Replies latest jw friends
simplifying your life was one of the positive things the witnesses instilled in me - and i think its just best to kinda ignore ads for the latest and greatest things, and love what you have.
as a musician/producer this is difficult for me, for instance, but i think the end product is much more important than the gear that got you there :)
Simplicity to me entails knowing the difference between a need and a want.
You can have tons of stuff materially and be completely miserable, because you feel as if you need to continue accumulating "stuff".
You can have just the bare necessities and be content, because you recognize that you actually do have everything you truly need.
It seems to be a state of mind, and perhaps it's even a decision that a person makes to the effect that "As long as I have food, clothing and shelter for my family and me, that's all that really matters."
We certainly make our lives more complicated, and our society's throw-away mentality has contributed to it enormously. If something doesn't work, you toss it and get a new one. Don't be bothered to try and fix something, because it's cheaper to just toss it and buy a new / better one. Don't try to learn how to fix something because time is valuable, and by the time you fix xyz yourself, you could have earned twice as much money in the same amount of time. The take home message is that "stuff" is important, but knowledge, experience and learning self-sufficiency is not important.
Sure it takes time and patience to grow my own tomatoes and zucchini and beans. Sure it takes time to make my own bread instead of picking up a loaf at the store. Sure it takes longer to make a trip to the egg farmer to buy fresh locally produced eggs, or buy produce at the farmer's market, than to walk 600 m to the grocery store and buy eggs and produce from who-knows-where for $2/dozen. Sure it takes time to paint a room myself instead of hiring someone to do it for me. Sure it takes time to knit a pair of socks instead of buying the generic ones in the store. Sure it takes time to clean my own house instead of hiring a housekeeper. But doing those things forces me to change my priorities - unlike some of my friends, I'm not focussed on social events or gossip and other drama that seems to occur in people who actively seek out the complexities (ie, the drama) and thrive on it. Oddly enough, they always seem to be miserable...
This is a neat topic. It got me thinking of some ways that I have simplified my life.
1.) I only have one phone line: my cell phone. During most days, I'm at work, and my kids are at school so why pay for a phone no one is home to answer? In the eveings, I charge it up and turn up the ringer to the highest volume. That way I don't miss a call when I'm home in the evenings.
2.) I moved closer to my job, when i first got hired, I lived thirty minutes away. Now I only have to drive 7- 10 minutes and I'm there. Less waste of of time and less wear on my car.
3.) I have a good quility camera and print my favorite photos at home. No more trips to the photo lab for developing.
I simplified my life--I stopped going to boasting sessions, going out in field circus, and reading what the Washtowel and Asleep wanted me to do. Which did the job.
My brother-in-law and his wife have two grown daughters. They downsized to a smallier home, probably about 1/3 the size of their old home. It's out "in the country" in Surry County, North Carolina. They have about 8 acres of land.
I know for a fact that my sister-in-law is not happier. She feels that now they don't have enough room and that they are in each other's "space". She also feels isolated and has not found the neighbors to be particularly friendly or anyone that she can call on. She is not in great health and my brother-in-law travels in his job. They also had a pool at their old house and she misses that a lot.
My brother-in-law likes it better than she does. He enjoys fishing in his pond, working his large garden and taking care of his fruit trees. But he also feels somewhat isolated.
That's just one example of someone that I know.
simplifying to me is:
buying what you can afford.
people gotta learn to put 10-15% of pay aside for future/retirement/emergency
if you're not able ro save and pay it off the next month why buy it? why go to all these vacations/concerts if you gotta work double?
why does somebody need a wardrobe too big? do you need 5 change of clothes or 10 or enough where you have to wear a diffrent item every day?
i love to buy, but hate to waste.
before I buy, i ask
1) can I pay for it
2) will i use it enough to justify the cost?
I also stay away from things that become maintence nighmares such as boats and more vehicles than necessary
i'd rather use a public/city pool than have my own and take up as much time as $$$$
