Voluntary Simplicity stuff

[Hopalong]

http://www.nwei.org/NWEI/Voluntary_Simplicity.html

I'd like this thread to be on any related topic that anybody feels like commenting on, such as (but it's a biiiiiiig topic):

Clutter
Consuming
Meaning of Spending
Shopping
Our Relationship to the Earth
Do We Need Lawns
What is Enough?
Do We Own Our Stuff?
Does Our Stuff Own Us?
Our Precious Time

You get my drift...anything like that and wherever we take it!

xo
Hops

[Hopalong]

And my first little bit is a Thanksgiving blessing that visited me:

I had a burst of simplicity tonight and cleaned up my room. Not the paperwork, but everything else, and even the paperwork is corralled in a portable bin. Ready for some out-of-the-house coffeehouse paperwork this week!

Silly
ordinary
but to me
a great moment

love
Hops

[axa]

Well Done hops,

As we all know how we do it is by doing it!!!!!!!!

Axa

[Lupita]

Do we own our stuff?

Relatively.

We do not take anything when we die. The worms will eat us and the "stuff" will stay here.

Like a football player that works all his life for that and brakes his knee and cannot paly anymore. What is left to him?

I guess we need basics and after that, everything is luxory. After the basics everything is a "plus".

To stop to smell the roses, metaphorically. What a wonderful sensation after a hard day of work, long day, to go to bed and feel my tempurpedic mattress. It is wonderful.

What a wonderful sensation to finally learn a dance step that has been practiced a lot.

What a nice feeling when I know that I post and I will have answers, wether I like the answeres or not, but the fact that somebody is answering, that there is another human being at the other side of this computer trying to communicate with me.

Thank you for this thread Hopalong.

[Lupita]

One of the simplicity things that I am learning to treasure and appreciate is:

Those boring days when nothing happens.

I love them, nothing happens, means, nothing bad happened, just peace and rest.

Like today. I love the day of today Friday. Just sitting in my apartment, alone, with my lap top, posting and enjoying a day when nothing happens.

The news say that mall were open at 4:00 o'clock AM and were packed and crowded.

I do not have a single cent to go shopping, but I feel so peaceful, so SIMPLE.

I love it.

[Leah]

The news say that mall were open at 4:00 o'clock AM and were packed and crowded.

I do not have a single cent to go shopping, but I feel so peaceful, so SIMPLE.

Me neither! 

It's a free day for me today.

Enjoyed a lovely walk this morning in the brisk cold sunshine, did not cost me anything, yet received a lovely feeling of peace,
and freshness.

Enjoy your day.

Love, Leah

[Ami]

I feel at peace ,too, b/c I am dischaging some of this crazy N thinking . Even letting go of a little makes me feel so wonderful that I could dance.                    Ami


(((((((((Lupita,Leah)))))))))))))

[Lupita]

I have some things to talk about simplicity and voluntary simplicity.

I lost 40 lb. I lowered my cholesterol, took away the back pains, helped my arthritis, etc.

But most of it, I like the body I see in the mirror.

So, if you take away the helth issues, should have I lost weight just for my own pleasure? Is that taking away simplicity?

And how about cosmetic surgery. I am not talking about reconstructive. But merely for the desire to look better.

As you guys know, in my country I was a doctor and I still have several friends who are plastic surgeons. They would perform a plastic surgery for me for free. I would stay in my mother's house and I would have to pay only my ticket and the material they would use plus medicines. I do not have a single cent right now. But, if I ever get to public schools, and save some money, that is a feasable project.

Does that take away my simplicity and my love for simplicity?

[Ami]

NO

[mudpuppy]

Voluntary simplicity is a fine ideal.

However there is unfortunately some busy-body gene in humans which all too often causes people to try and make the simplicity they voluntarily engage in compulsary for those who don't.

Only freedom should be compelled. I believe in voluntary simplicity and compulsary liberty.

mud

[Hopalong]

Okay, Mudbro, you can keep your truck. 

Leah, my Simplicity Covenant Group starts in January.

I think about this stuff a lot because both in my job and spiritually and personally, I am drawn to things like:

--vegetarianism
--green architecture or remodeling
--sustainability
--the work of Friez Haeg
--organic
--locavore
--closer relationship to animals
--endangered species
--planting local varieties
--heirloom seeds
--energy conservation

Mind you, "drawn to" in my case means "think about a lot". I'm too overwhelmed + lazy + morally slothful to enact it all. In my life, it has meant so far, changing all lightbulbs to CFLs, eliminating junk mail and recycling, carrying a tote bag and trying not to take plastic bags at stores, selling CFLs at church to fund Green Sanctuary programs, starting a side business (preimilaries, on pause now) selling something organic that will use recycled products in part, giving up meat and poultry (not fish, and had a few worse lapses a couple weeks ago), and starting Dr. Schultze's Superfood! (Ami, meant to tell you...I FEEL it. Amazing energy lift.)

There's more. But it just interests me on every level. Not as deprivation and martyrdom. Just as a direction I believe we all must go, it's good to go, and ultimately we'll be forced to go by changes in the world. I embrace it anyway, so might as well get a head start. And it excites me. Architecture has always excited me, and innovation excites me. Years ago, my ex taught me about Bucky Fuller. Today, I think Bucky's equivalents are the Green planners, designers, alternative energy technology people.

Anyway, de-cluttering is a good place for me to focus where I can accomplish something this winter.

love
Hops

[mudpuppy]

Just as a direction I believe we all must go, it's good to go, and ultimately

we'll be forced

to go by changes in the world.

Uh oh, starting to sound like "four legs good, two legs bad".

BTW this thread reminds me of one of my favorite Bob Newhart jokes;

Thoreau was famous for telling people to "Simplify, simplify".
Newhart said, "Wouldn't it have been simpler if he'd just said it once?"
For some reason that always cracks me up.

mud

[changing]

Hi Everyone-

This thread is funny and profound- my favorites. I am voluntarily/involuntarily simplified- and I love it (most of the time- uh-oh, more complexity!)! Lots of work though, and lots of undoing- will it ever end? This is yet another subject that is taboo in the 3D world on any meaningful level. I have found Izzy's example to be of significant benefit on this subject, and very freeing. Leah, Ami Lupita- Thank you for your sharing, it helps me to face my own "stuff" with clarity and purpose! Mud, I share your notions of compulsary freedom and voluntary choices. And the joke s are good, too! Hoppy, you rock as always!!! You are so honest and wise and deep and friendly to the world and its fragile creatures (including the frailties of mankind)- every post has so much in it to feed and nurture good thoughts and good living.

Love,

Changing

[Hopalong]

Oh heck, Mud...I didn't mean forced by other people or legislation, I was referring to being forced to by Mama/Papa Nature.

I HOPE conservation will take off like Peace 'n Love and be voluntary.

Anyhow, didn't mean this to be a political thread, notatall...

 

Hops

[tayana]

Oh, I love this topic!  I wanted to respond to this earlier, but I didn't get the chance.  We were on our way out to see Mr. Magorium.  That was my Black Friday contribution.

This topic is something that I often think about.  I am a self-admitted packrat.  I would buy one thing and end up with a huge collection, and then I couldn't enjoy the one thing I'd bought and really wanted.  When I moved, one of the things I wanted to do was get rid of clutter.  Things that didn't fit.  Things I didn't use.  Things I had too many of.  I wanted to organize and simplify, because I was drowning in stuff.

I still have a lot of stuff, I'll admit, but I have gotten rid of so much stuff since I moved.   I Threw away tons of papers.  I threw away cards.  I threw away things that were broken, things that I just couldn't use and were of no value.  I threw away school papers, art projects, etc, because I just didn't have room for them.  I wanted a new uncluttered look. I donated boxes of books to the library because I didn't have space for them.  I'm still getting rid of things.  I'd bring things from my parents' house and take them to the donation place or the resale store.  I put things on Ebay.

When I lived with them, I was never allowed to get rid of anything.  My mother wouldn't let me sell or donate any clothing, even if it didn't fit.  I might lose weight and be able to wear it.  It didn't matter if it was totally out of style.  If I'd weed out collections, she stick it in a box in case I changed my mind.  I still have a lot the toys from when I was kid.  And I don't really want them.  She even made me keep packaging for M's things.  Boxes.  When I moved I threw away a lot of that stuff because there was no room for it.

Being able to finally get rid of some of this junk is such a relief. 

I also noticed that I soothed a lot of my depression by spending money, buying myself treats.  I have bought a lot of things, but they've been things for home, things I needed, not useless things like clothes, jewelry, books, etc.  Not clutter.  I bought curtains, things to hang on my living room wall, some pretty candle holders for the table.  And kitchen stuff, because when I moved I didn't have a decent skillet or utensils. 

My mother claimed she "helped me as much as she could with my move."  Unfortunately, I still ended up with very few things that I could actually use.

I'm still working on living a simpler life.  I haven't quite succeeded yet, but I don't miss spending a lot of money on new outfits or shoes or books or anything like that.  I'd much rather see that money in the bank than on a credit card.