Added Value: Now what?

   

     So, if you've begun to make the switch to minimalism, or living a more simple life, or even just finding ways to add value to your world, you may be asking, "Now what?!"  What is supposed to happen or what do you gain by this lifestyle change? In what ways is it supposed to be better than before you made the switch? Here's a few things I want to touch on today:

1.  When you aren't tied to your home's cleaning, dusting, yard work, piles of laundry, mounds of dirty dishes, stacks of unopened mail, etc, you free up time. I'm not saying you should stop cleaning and live in a pig sty, but if you have a capsule wardrobe, you don't own enough clothes to make piles on the floor anymore. If you don't hoard junk mail and stack unnecessary items on flat surfaces around your house, you don't have to find an hour to go through it all. If you don't own the typical 300,000 items most Americans do, there's minimal cleaning and dusting. Use that time to add value to your life by engaging in hobbies and your health. Begin to add time for walks or workouts, fresh air, hobbies, interests, educating yourself in whatever you've always wanted to learn.

2.  Happiness starts to creep in unexpectedly. The craving for all that you don't have fades. The "keeping up with the Jones'" feelings go away. You no longer care what other people wear, what they drive, where they vacation, what they buy, etc. You end up removing the monkey on your back that urges you to constantly "chase more" just to find out it never satisfies...NEVER. When all that passes away, what's left is a calm sense of being content. It's a very peaceful feeling, and over time, it turns to happiness on a regular basis.

3.  Space. When you declutter your home, your digital life, your relationships, and your thoughts, what's left is soothing, empty space - and that's okay. It's very freeing to have lots of empty space around instead of mounds of clutter. Space asks nothing of you or your time.

4.  Freedom. Why and how do you gain freedom? Because you aren't always worrying about losing all your "stuff". You don't worry about what if someone breaks in and steals your stuff. You let go of the stress trying to gain more stuff, and where to put it, and how to protect it, and how best to insure it, and how to keep it from leaving/going away. Your mind is freed. I only own about 35 pieces of clothing, not including underwear, socks, etc. If they all got ruined in a load of laundry (like someone spilled bleach into the washer full of clothes), I wouldn't panic. They don't represent years of hard work, hours and dollars spent accumulating them, one of a kind things I'll never be able to replace...seriously, everyday things should never be considered irreplaceable, with only the exception of old photos (which you can scan & save digitally now). Only people should be irreplaceable.

5.  Peace comes when you've learned to make time for it. Taking time you've gained for prayer, or meditation on higher things, or quieting your mind, or centering yourself, it all brings peace that you probably never knew when you were in the throws of chasing brand names, knick knacks, and stuff.

     Yes, it's worth it.

Added Value: Sept. 26th

     Hello Again! Well, we're back after quite the adventure, I've completed half my college homework, taken a quiz, and an exam. I got all A's so far. Today is the one last day to get everything else done before our son gets married 200 miles away in just 2 days - and I'm in school all day tomorrow. I'm feeling overwhelmed a little, but, because I've been living simply for a while now, I am learning how to stop - organize my thoughts - plan out a timeline to get the most important things done - delegate a few minor things that really need to be done but not by me, necessarily - and I'm taking time to breathe in between.

     So what take away points did I learn on my vacation that I can pass onto you to, to add value to your life too? Here's a few:

1.  Plans change, accept it - our cruise itinerary changed several times due to Hurricane Irma & Hurricane Maria. We barely left 12 hours before it hit the Dominican Republic. Flights got changed and delayed by hours. There were unmet expectations on board too. What I learned though, and hope to share is that it's okay if plans change. We may not get everything we hoped for or wanted (or paid for) but there's only 2 choices - Get angry and miss out on the good things going on around you, or accept it, recalculate the plan, roll with it, and find the stress leaving as quickly as it came. In our case, the interrupted plans were still better than no vacation, or being hit by the hurricane, or being stranded at sea for extra days and missing our son's wedding this week. Let it go.

2.  Many people who live on islands in the Caribbean or Bahamas live a TRUE simple life. Many Americans assume a small hut, no car, in the middle of nowhere, no typical jobs available means the residents live in abject poverty - but when you get to talking with the people there, you realize they love their life. They have time freedom. They work like farmers did - up with the sun, rest in the heat of the day, evening is for family, get to bed early so you can rise with the sun again. No harsh schedules to keep like we tend to do. They can barter with neighbors for things they need. They form Farmer's Market type of areas where produce, goods, and other things are exchanged. They have no dependence on money to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgages, don't work themselves to an early grave just to drive a luxury branded car or walk around with a $500 purse. Think how ridiculous that seems to them. When you drive by what Americans see as their "poor village", everyone's happy, smiling, waving hello to the tourists on the buses riding by, they wear clothes that are clean and neat, their hair is done up, and they aren't starving considering their healthy weights. I don't expect everyone to stop what they're doing and live like this - but it truly is a life of simplicity.

3.  Talk to people wherever you go. We met more new people on that trip in one week than we have in a year! Many of them we ran into over and over again in different places and it was like seeing friends all week. We made friends with one couple in particular that made the trip 100% more fun that it would've been without them. They were from Indiana and we all hope to stay friends and plan to see each other again sometime. They were so much fun it was like we were traveling with a couple we've known forever. Amazing how much we had in common. We also met a guitarist from Nashville, and bartenders from Croatia, Serbia, and Mexico. People are people - get to know them - you will add loads of value to your life by including new people on occasion. Be willing to smile or shake a hand.

4.  Getting back on track can be hectic, but it can be done with reduced stress levels. As I mentioned before, take time to just stop - organize - plan - and breathe. You can't do everything all at once, and multitasking usually results in doing only a fair job at each thing. Instead, focus on just one important thing at a time and do your best. No point worrying over everything else because it won't change anything anyway. Focus. Relax. Breathe. Take time to sit quietly to calm your thoughts. Get fresh air for a few minutes if that's what will help. To add value to your life, stop trying to be a Superman or a Wonder Woman. Just be you. It'll be enough if you truly try to do a good job and take time to restore your self.

For your enjoyment, here's a few pictures from vacation:

Quick Update: Monday 9/25/17

   

     Hi Everyone, I'm home again. Heading to school today but I promise I will have a blog post tomorrow worthy of your time. Our trip was re-routed, we missed a Category 4 hurricane by just 12 hours, ended up far from where we planned, but it was beautiful, calm, and sunny - and we're safe. Sorry about not posting more but the internet on the ship was spotty at best. Can't wait to get back into my daily blogging and gearing up for another 30 day challenge in October. Stay tuned.