Live simply

Live simply, so that others may simply live
-Gandhi

I think I first heard this quote on the movie Gandhi and then again on Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. It is a good reminder of the more important things in life.

I used to be the type of person (high school and first few years of college) who always wanted to shop. I had to wear brand name clothes, be up to date on everything from technology to music. I blame public schooling for this. What a vile environment for youth to grow up in. It is the perfect breeding ground for what "the man" wants you to turn into. You are a pawn in their game. You are told that the only dream you should have is the "American Dream". Well, to quote George Carlin "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."

On a semi-side note, here's a tasty little morsel for your brain- George Carlin rant *Warning- adult language*

Now back to this "American Dream" conspiracy, as I like to call it. We are told in high school that the only way to get ahead in life is to go to college and get a degree. So, you do just that. You spend 4 or more precious years of your life studying hard, hurtling yourself down the slippery slope of debt and come out of the tube on the other end, weighted down with thousands of dollars of money to pay back and the real world smacking you in your face. Now you are in a sea of people who all also have college degrees and you're all scratching your head going "Well now what- who's going to hire me now?" Now I have lots to say about this topic here. To begin with, I am not bucking college completely. I feel that college is a great experience for anybody to go through. But it's just that- an experience. It's a way to expand your mind and be exposed to many different things you may not have been exposed to. For example, I left a tiny, tiny little town and went to Michigan State University, which is known for it's large campus. Campus was so big that I had to take a bus route to get to the other side of campus for class. My hometown didn't even have a stoplight in it. As I walked the halls of my dorm, I heard more languages being spoken than I even knew existed. It was just an incredible atmosphere. But after two years, I felt I had had my fill and I moved to a smaller college back in the UP and spent my time living my life the way I had felt was true to myself.

Now that I'm graduated, I have over $20,000 of debt in a field of study that I wish I would've changed. I majored in Criminal Justice, minored in Psychology. I started out in this field, very excited and ambitious, but I had dreams of working in my hometown, where help in this area was needed. By the time I had graduated I had lost my desired to want to work in the field anymore as all the officers and other professionals I had interviewed or worked with seemed to hate their jobs. High stress, low pay, poor treatment. I also didn't agree with the types of laws they are required to enforce. Last but not least, there wasn't going to be a job opening for my type of field anywhere up here for years.

Luckily, I got married while in college and then got pregnant and found my new passion: being a stay at home wife/mother. Talk about fulfillment in life.

At first, I looked back on my college degree with regret. Especially when I see those bills in the mail for my loans, but I'm trying to teach myself not to have any regrets about my past. Thus, it was my college experience, not just a degree.

But back to this American Dream thing. All these people graduate college and have to find a good job to pay back their debt. They also have to have a place to live in and a car to get to work with. Buy, buy, buy = more debt, debt debt. Now you're further in debt. It'll take years for you to be able to pay it off. By then you'll probably have bought other things; a boat, a different car, more stuff, stuff, stuff. What a cycle! It's evil!
Tasty morsel #2: The Story of Stuff

Does this sound in line with the quote I posted at the beginning of this post? Certainly not! Is it really necessary to own all those movies? That many outfits? All those knick knacks? When you start looking around your house, think about what each item means to you. Does it have a real meaning? Or is it just there...to be there? To "decorate" your house? Why not try decorating with more natural things like flowers? Or try decorating with less. Sometimes clear space is more nourishing for the soul than a "decorative" knick knack.

I've begun purging my house of all the unnecessary things and it has been incredibly refreshing. We now have so much more space and it is such a freeing feeling. I have gone through our bookshelves, our closets, our cupboards and Bean's toys and gotten rid of a lot of stuff. A lot of it goes to people who have a need for it. I post it on a great website, called Freecycle and if somebody can use it, they come and pick it up. I just had a lady pick up two big bags full of extra dishes, glasses, bowls, etc from my kitchen that I didn't need. Now putting away my dishes is less annoying. And the best part was that her eyes were wide open in complete amazement that I would be giving them away. How rewarding!

I purged my closets of a lot of clothing. I took out the clothes that I don't absolutely love or ones that don't make me feel particularly cute. Not only do I have more space in my closet now, but it's a lot easier to get dressed since there's less to choose from and it's all just things that I love.
Don't ask me about my shoes though. That still a work in progress. I have a shoe obsession. In all fairness I did get rid of three pairs though...I know that made my hubby happy, considering my shoe rack takes up about half of the closet. Ack!

Toys are becoming an annoyance for me. I know every parent goes nuts from the amount of toys their children has, but why do we keep the cycle going? There's always the joke that the best toy is the box that it came in. But it's not just a joke, it's the truth and we all know it. My hubby and I restrained ourselves this past Christmas and we bought Bean three things. We knew he was going to get spoiled by the rest of the family and there was nothing we could do about that. But we controlled what we could. Not only did we save money, but he doesn't have as many toys to overwhelm himself with. I encourage all parents to reduce the amount of toys they buy their children. Try to find something else to replace gift giving. I hope that over the years we can move more towards Christmas being a time of goodwill towards others and less emphasis on getting toys. I hope that we can also do something similar for his birthdays. I don't want him to ever be the type of child who asks people what they got him for his birthday or Christmas. I also don't ever want him to be greedy or ungrateful.
I'd still like to reduce the amount of toys he has. The toys still take over the living room and his bedroom. The worst part is that he still ignores a large percentage of them. He enjoys playing with my mixing bowls and a wooden spoon, playing drums in the kitchen. Or pulling the books down off of the bookshelf. Anything but his actual toys. And this makes me very happy. Now I can give these toys to a child who may use and enjoy them more than mine does.

On a last note, keep in mind that the less things you own, the less care you have to provide for them. Now this is true for everything- not just motors and stuff. Knick knacks too. You have to move all this stuff around when you clean, you have to dust it, keep it from getting broken, keep up the engines, etc, etc, etc! That makes me exhausted just thinking about it! Get rid of the unnecessary and devote that extra time to something that makes you truly happy, like crafting or exercising or being kissy face with your significant other. It's liberating.

So remember everyone, things are not what makes the world go 'round. Don't fall into the trap of the American Dream. There are other, more fulfilling things to do with your time and energy. Good luck!