Physical clutter is a mental process
Take a deep breath and let it go
“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.” –Buddha
As a Christian, I don’t take the teachings of Gautama Buddha as gospel but I do appreciate some of his wisdom and insight. Particularly in the realm of inner peace.
My husband and I joined a Voluntary Simplicity group this past Monday night. We’ll all meet five times in the next five weeks to discuss topics such as what voluntary simplicity means to us, how much is enough, the work we do in exchange for money, etc.
Having read hundreds of books geared toward a simpler life since 2001, I’m in a different place than everyone else in the class. Most of the attendees are just beginning their journey but there is a lady who’s lived at Lake Merwin for 20 years and has some unique insight as a result of that.
One thing that was brought up is how physical clutter is really a mental process. That is so accurate. We can hire someone to go through our homes and clean them out of all the broken items, the obsolete electronics and small appliances, the clothes that no longer fit and the developed photos that are blurry or have people in them we can’t identify. But, until we can process the mental baggage that causes us to accumulate these items in the first place, it will be difficult to let go and difficult to keep from acquiring excess in the future.
The mental of things is fed by so many avenues. We have commercials that are constantly insisting we will be beautiful if we buy this, drive this, drink this. We will be popular if we own this, vacation here, have a membership to that. We will appear financially successful if our home is this many square feet, we carry XYZ credit card or ’own’ a time share in Cancun. I use the word ’appear’ intentionally because all of those purchases deplete the balance in our checking account which seems counterintuitive to being financially successful.
But there are other things. We hold onto a pizza stone, for example, because it’s a concrete reminder of who we wanted to be once, who we thought we’d be once, who, it turns out, we aren’t and that might make us feel like we failed or we’re disappointed with the fact that we don’t use the pizza stone (fill that in with sail boat, RV, snow mobile, treadmill) because our lives are too busy to find the time.
If we could get past all that emotion we could 1. Let go of the pizza stone and probably feel a relief because that perceived broken promise is now gone -or- 2. Intention to reorganize our lives to use the pizza stone and be excited for the new life that we’re living that we’ve wanted to live for years.
“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.” –Buddha
It’s worth repeating. Close your eyes and imagine sitting on a comfortable rock (they can be comfortable) in a beautiful setting with a small backpack on your back, enough water for day and a great sandwich to eat in a couple of hours. Allow yourself to just relax, to hear the water or smell the fresh air or listen to the light wind whisper through the trees. All you need for the next couple of hours is with you. You’re warm, and completely in the moment. How do you feel?
Now, imagine your overstuffed garage, your living room with all the schotsky you dust every Saturday morning, your kitchen with all the small appliances that perform one function each, your bulging cupboard with plastic water bottles picked up at Disneyland, Starbucks and work seminars. Imagine the book shelf(ves) filled with books you don’t have time to read or have read but must keep to show people how well-read you are, the CDs, DVDs , twisted wires and cables. How do you feel? If I’m right, please go back to the previous paragraph and inhale deeply. That can be your life if you want it badly enough.
Just because Americans can afford to overstuff their lives, doesn’t mean we have to. Studies have shown that beyond basic comforts and conveniences (a roof that doesn’t leak, water enough, food enough, clothes to keep us warm, a bed, a comfy place to sit at home), the more we have, the farther away from ‘content’ we become.
“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.” –Buddha
It is not meant to frighten us but to free us.
Viki
I am a Clark County native. I am Level 2 WSET (wine and spirit education trust)-certified and enjoy pairing wine with my passion for travel and fondness of food. My most prized possessions are the memories of places I've been with my husband, the chance encounters we've been blessed to have along the way and my carry-on bag. I can often be seen around town and in tasting rooms with our two beautiful, double-Merle Australian shepherds, Challenge and Baby Girl.