Something I find interesting, is how even though I have recently started the process of thinning my possessions. I have already had people compare me to Cristopher McCandless. McCandless being the young man who got rid of most of his possessions and moved to Alaska to live in a bus. I think it is interesting to see that this is the response from making an effort to get rid of things I no longer deem useful or necessary to my life. The simple fact, that I am doing something that is different. Especially in our American culture of consumerism. Buy! Buy! Buy!
This response typically comes from people I should probably not share my plans with, though. What do you mean? You don’t want a big house full of stuff? Don’t you want to live a comfortable life? I have long believed complacency to be a killer of dreams and lives. Nothing good has ever come from being complacent. Change and growth only comes from discomfort. I am not opposed to owning a home and settling down at some point, but I want it to be a deliberate decision. I find it interesting and revealing, that for many, the idea of me thinning down my possessions leads them to immediately assume that I am going to end up dying in a bus in Alaska. People will always be quick to tell you what you are doing wrong.
So far, I have removed an entire grocery cart full of stuff from my life. These were the things that immediately jumped out at me, and honestly, I already feel lighter. I can see the change. I can see the progress being made. As space that was once cluttered with appliances, and doors that were blocked, become open space. Even with the one cart load gone, I feel great about the progress and the process. I continue to move more items from the backs of closets to the front door.
I know it goes against everything that we are marketed. You need to have this big house; you need to have this new car. You need this thing. All that stuff is still available for the time that I might need it, but there is so much that we unknowingly bring into our lives. The sweater you buy because it’s on a great sale. The shoes you wore for that one event. None of that is important, but I get that for a lot of people out there they will think I am crazy. They will think I am just running away to live in a bus in the middle of Alaska. And to those people who think that there is nothing wrong with thinking that way, but I do not plan on dying in the middle of nowhere. I am not going insane. I am only being more deliberate in the things that I bring into my life. I am being more deliberate in the choices that I make. Because we all get this one life, and like I said previously, I do not want to simply have my life be something that just happens. I want my life to be full of choices, of deliberate decisions. I want to live on my terms, and not be sold things I do not value.
The two are not on opposite sides of a spectrum. You do not need things to be comfortable. You also do not have to have to have nothing to be happy. It is all about how you want to live. By removing junk, I no longer value, I am living deliberately and seeking meaning. If you find meaning in a big house, great do that. I hope you can buy the biggest, best house you want. Whatever choices you make, I hope they bring you the most happiness. For me, I am not buying the idea of needing all this stuff to be happy. Happiness comes from within and cannot be found in any store. All in all, I might need to stop sharing with people what I am doing. I could very well find some people knocking on my door to take me away to a nice padded room.
When you do something different it’s to be expected to be viewed as crazy. Thank you so much for reading and supporting this journey I am on. Links to my social media accounts below:
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