Less.

December 28, 2019

So. What have I been up to lately, besides celebrating the holidays?

My family had a great one by the way, full of laughter and simple traditions and love. Lots of love. I miss having little kids but geez, I love my grown-up kids so much. I hope yours was full of magic too.

Since my last post I’ve had some great adventures. One in Nashville with my friend Jeff. So much fun. We ate and played and most of all listened to live country music. So much music. I finally made it to the Grand ole Opera and it was sweetness beyond words.

I also went to Lawrence, Kansas this month to visit and dream for a few days about a new business adventure with my friends John and Beth (and my new friend Jerri). We get closer and sharper on our plans every time we gather. And the feedback we’re getting from some shiny bright people has been super encouraging. More on this really, really soon!

I stayed in this very modern tiny box of an airbnb when I was in Kansas. It was so minimal and calming, which leads me to the real reason for this post.

If you’ve ever been to my home, you know I’m a bit of a minimalist. I’m not an extreme one, but I don’t have much stuff. I don’t fill my home with useless objects. In fact, I would go so far to say that stuff makes me nervous. Hard to explain. And the older I get, the more I realize that living with less stuff is the life for me. I’ve read Marie Kondo’s tidying book but my house is already tidy so I haven’t actually taken her exacting steps to heart.

Well, at some point on a rainy day over the holidays I stumbled on a couple of you tube videos about extreme minimalism. Do you know that some people choose to live without furniture? People also count their things and one man has his items down to 15.

Well, that “rainy day rabbit hole of laptop stumbling” about minimalism inspired me to think a bit more about my own level of minimalism. If less makes me happier, how much less can I really live with? How much calmer, happier and less stressed can I get?

So, I did it. I started with my books. I gathered them from all over the house. And one by one I held them in my hands to see what feeling they gave me. I got rid of two huge bags of books! And honestly, I think I could do it again. It was the first time I realized that books have energy. I had books and cookbooks that reminded me of things that really didn’t bring me much joy anymore. It was odd really how these items triggered emotions. And how great I felt when they had been given new homes.

Then on to paper. That was easy. I’m not a paper keeper. But I did tossed some things. And it felt good.

Then my clothes. I love clothes. Again, if you know me, you know about this form of self expression i enjoy.

So I took all my clothes from all over the house and put them on my guest bed. Seeing them all piled up on the bed almost made me ill.

Like physically sick. I had to grab an emergency ginger ale from the fridge.

Check out the photo if you don’t believe me. I was stunned. I stunned myself. And suddenly I got what Marie Kondo is doing with her method. I understood why you need to pull all your things out and just pile them up. It made me realize how crazy my clothing collection really was. So again, I got rid of a whole lot of things. Some items I consigned. I gave some to my daughter. And some to Goodwill. And I have to say, I feel so much lighter after losing over 25% of my clothing. I really think I want to do a second round.

I’m telling you all this because it was truly a life changing process. If you’re reading this you are most likely a friend and therefore you have something in common with me. And it might be this. I read once that if you ever look in your closet and wonder what to wear, you’re wealthy. It’s true, most of us are wealthy by the world’s standards.

So. This is just the start of my journey to LESS.

I have a few issues that worry me. One is Climate Change and the massive amount of waste we humans produce. I know that the biggest impact of change will have to come from the biggest contributors to the problem. But I’ve decided that I can’t complain about those people and corporations if I don’t clean up my own act. I’m also excited to live this next decade with less in order to experience more.

And trust me when I say this. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this gap year of 2019, it’s this. Experiences matters. Your health matters. Family and friends matter. Focusing only on what really matters is going to be my goals for the coming decades.

When I was in LA recently I worked with some students from Cal Arts to help “humanize” the LA county sustainability efforts. They came up with this brilliant idea to create a Culture of Refusal. Refuse the bag for the donut, refuse the straw, etc. So, with that in mind, here are just a few small ways that I’m going to make my little world and therefore the whole world a wee bit lighter.

1.     No more water from a bottle. Seriously what if we all did this? I have this wonderful pink glass water bottle that a friend gave me (thanks Courtenay!) for my birthday. It’s just the prefect size and I love the way it feels in my hand. I will fill that bottle instead of stopping for a packaged bottle water. All the time, not just some of the time.

2.     I’ll continue to try and reduce the amount of trash I make. Currently I only take my trash to the road every two weeks. I’m aiming for once a month. Which still seems too often to me.

3.     I’ll carry my own bag to the store. I am so guilty of not doing this. Geez. I have one I love, but forget it a lot. Well, that forgetting is just a habit and you can change your habits in short period of time. I will make this happen in 2020 and beyond.

4.     I’ll wait 24 hours before I make an online purchase. ALL the time. I think this is going to help the clothing problem I have. Besides if my closet is only filled with stuff that fits, feels good and is in good shape, why will I need more? I’ll continue to only buy brands that are making quality products ethically. This is a big one. And I’m going to have to really work on it. Did you know that fashion contributes to 92M tons of waste in landfills each year. What does 92 million tons of waste even look like? Does anyone know the answer to that question? If you are interested in this subject, read this. I also watched a video that suggested you limited the number of clothing items you purchase per year or month. And keep a list of those things so you can see how you do. I’m trying this!

5.     I’m going to ride my bike or walk more often. I can do this. I live close to most things I need. I can bike or walk to the grocery store, downtown and even the gym if I start early enough. I will still travel by plane. Because I love travel. Not giving up planes.

6.     No toxic products for cleaning. I’m going to edit my makeup too to make sure I’m using only clean products. I don’t use a lot of cleaning stuff or makeup so this should be easy. I’ve discovered this brand called 100% Pure. Check it out. Good stuff.

7.     I’m going to eat more local foods and eat less meat. Look out Swamp Rabbit, my bike and I will be coming your way more often. I do this already but still I can do MUCH better.

I know these are all pretty basic ideas but imagine if everyone reading this committed to just two of these ideas? We could make a dent.

If you have any other ideas I’m listening.

I’m excited for the decades (hopefully) in front me. There’s so much learning, growing, loving and experiences ahead.

Oh. I also think I’ll start a little You Tube Chanel of my own. I love peeking into the hearts and minds of complete strangers. And I could learn to edit videos. What do you think about that idea? Do you ever “rainy day rabbit hole laptop stumble” like me?

OX, Robbin