Less is More

This post is about stuff. I have been thinking about stuff lately and I can't get it off my mind. It has been a few months now and I have lots of thoughts about it that I want to get some of them written down because, one, it is good to write down my goals and plans I have so I can make changes and two I like to share ideas. I am especially grateful when I hear other peoples ideas too.

I never thought I would be a moving around type of girl. I have moved a handful of times in my life. I started my life in Canada and now I find myself living on Guam. Each time I move to a new place I de-junk. I go through my belongings and every time it is the same. I realize how much I have accumulated and I get rid of things that I no longer use or need. I give clothes away to neighbor children, sell things on-line or make lots of donations to the DI. But somehow I always seem to accumulate more than I need all over again.

For the past two years most of our belonging have been in storage. We lived at my in-laws home while they were serving a mission. All we kept of our own belonging were clothes, toys for Lydia, books, DVD's and a some other random things. I haven't seen all of my stuff for a long time. 

I have enjoyed living with less the past 2 years. 

When the movers came to the home and storage unit to pack up for Guam we were left with even less stuff. We put all of our belonging into 5 large suitcases and 3 small ones. We lived out of those suitcases for one month in Utah and it has been two weeks so far here in Guam. We have even less now and it feels even better. 

I had less things put away, less laundry to do, less toys for Lydia to tidy and more time in my life and honestly have felt more joy. 

We sold most of our furniture in Oklahoma so we thought we'd better buy a couch in Utah and let the movers ship it to Guam for us. We did lots of shopping at all the furniture stores, Ashley's, RC Willeys & Ikea. We finally found a new one we loved at Sams Club. I sat at Sams Club for about 45 minutes waiting for the workers to get it down from storage and out to the truck. I sat their in the food area and did some major people watching. Except I wasn't really watching the people I was checking out their over the brim carts as they left the checkouts and headed to the door. No judging was involved because I've have had my fair share of carts filling over the brim at Sams or Costco before too. I am nobody's judge. That place can be a trap. I've been there.  

But what I witnessed in those 45 minutes of waiting was SO much excess. People buying things they might not need, might not have a place for at home, might not have planned buying it in the first place and might not even have the funds to pay for it without credit. 

I don't want to be like those people anymore. 

 When all of Lydia's toys were boxed up and sent off in crates to Guam together we built a cardboard fort with the left over boxes. Every child that came in our home didn't care that we didn't have toys, they either played outside or in our super cool fort. This was pure joy without anything bought at the store.

Life is not about stuff. 

We have been doing lots of driving around Guam and I have seen a lot of poverty in our short time here. I see the conditions of their home and my heart breaks a little. I don't know them personally but I can assume they have less stuff then I do. I don't know their hearts but I bet they are a happy people.  I think this is a great place for me to start of new goal of living with less. I will have lots of opportunities to give. My possessions won't make them happier but perhaps I have something that they need.

Maybe a little girl here on Guam needs some of Lydia's clothes that don't fit, or some of her dolls that she never plays with anymore. 

 I have been researching and reading books about Minimalism. I am in love with a lot of the ideas. I still think too much of anything is never good. I will never be extreme about my belongings but I will be better and to try and live with the essentials. I have saved a few quotes that I want to remember so I will share them here. I am preaching to myself. Nobody else. 

Pretty soon here I am going to be unpacking ALL of our stuff and I have a new plan. I only want to unpack and find a home for all of the things that we really use, cherish or need. I know it will take some time. But I have time and that's my goal. I am excited about this. It will be an ongoing life process to make sure what I bring into our home in the future has a purpose and a space. 

I think it is a great time to do start this around Thanksgiving, the season of gratitude. I have so much in my life and I have a pretty great life full of new opportunities and lots of changes right now. I don't thrive when I am busy and rushed from one thing to another so I hope this goal helps that part of my life too. Tyson doesn't thrive when things aren't in order. I think this idea of striving to live a simpler life with less all around will be good for all of us. 

I will keep you updated on my progress and more thoughts I have ready to spill. Just last night when I was reading the scriptures I realized the lifestyle of living with less is found often in its pages and I have so much more to learn and study up on that topic in the Book of Mormon.