“More Stuff.  More Space.  Less Life.” How true is this quote?  As we move into the holiday season, I am once again contemplating the meaning of all the stuff around our lives.

I met a lady yesterday, who was inquiring about a membership to the YMCA.  Her kids had asked her to come up with some “clutter free” gift ideas.  As a family, they had decided that more stuff was utterly unnecessary.

After our conversation, I was left pondering the values in our consumptive culture.  How do our things serve us?  How do they detract or add to our livelihood?  What do they do to our relationships?  How does stuff find its way into our precious homes?

When people visit, I often hear comments such as “Your place is so neat.  How do you do it?”  I often equate it to my hyper-perfectionist personality and the fact that we don’t have little people running around yet.  However, I also now see a deeper root cause.  Jeremy and I don’t live with a lot of stuff.  Consciously or unconsciously, we have been very intentional about what we bring into our home.  Throughout our marriage, we have continued to purge and let go of the things that no longer add value to our lives.  Through this process, we’ve found both healing and freedom.  The things in our home mean something and often shine on special memories.  They reflect who we are and what we believe in.  They support and nourish our souls, as we retreat from a harried, hectic day.  The stuff in our lives is separate from us.  At any time, moths or thieves, floods or fires, could take it all away.  Upon this reflection, we are centered in knowing that our eyes need to be fixed on something greater.  Something more real.  Something more lasting.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

~William Morris

So, when we go to the stores today, we walk around, immersed in the glamour and sparkling of advertisements.  Our eyes grow wide and our mouths well with thirst over all the yummy, delicious stuff within reach of our fingertips.  We dream about bigger, better, and more.  For a tiny moment, we get lost in the world of illusion; thinking all our problems will be solved if we stuffed our home with all that neat, shiny stuff.

Sale items are my poisonous apple.  While I often don’t need it, I can find every reason and excuse to bring it home.  I mean, it’s a great deal!  It was meant for me to find it!  Shoes and purses are definitely my weakness.  But, bygone, I’ll make room in my closet because it’s worth it!

New Table. Old, Spooky Decoration.

During a recent trip to Target, I came across an aisle full of clearance furniture.  Modern, sleek, new; just calling my name.  I quickly snatched up one of the tables, feeling a tiny twisting in my stomach.  Did I need it?  Heck no, but I proceeded to walk around with it in the cart.  Tiny voices, from both shoulders began speaking.  After bouncing between need and want, I headed toward the checkout line…..with the table.  I had talked myself into deciding it was worth it.  Plus, it really was something I had my eye on for a while, but knew it would only find its way into our home if it drastically came down in price.

When I got home and put the tiny table in the place my mind had picked out, I began to contemplate the price of many things filling the average home today.  This little table cost me two hours of work.  Yet, I began to think beyond that.  Time cleaning, moving (near and far), and decorating also needed consideration.  Over the course of a lifetime, this tiny table may end up taking more of my life than I originally understood.  Not to mention the real estate (space) it now required in our overall square footage.

While this illustration may seem small and worthless, I do have to wonder how this illuminates a greater story.  If our eye is fixed on this stuff, if it only adds to our meaning of success, then what have we lost?  How have we volunteered our time to this stuff, while replacing our capacity for authentic love and real relationship?  In what ways might our stuff neglect or cover feelings/situations that need to be indebted to time?

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.”

~Donald Horban

How will you keep space to love those around you?  What will your buying criteria, in response to more life, be this holiday season?

April – September = 6-month Blogging Sabbatical.  :-}

Ge’ez, where has the time gone!  I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post!  Spring semester ended, summer came, and summer went.  As we circle back into the fall season, I feel excited about the change in the air.  Living in the Pacific NW, we are fortunate in that we get to experience distinct seasonal cycles.  And while I appreciate other parts of the year, this is particularly my favorite.

My husband turned 30 on Tuesday.  In our culture, the big 3-0 is a big scary deal (for most).  Yet, we’ve discovered and found joy in the fact that each passing year only gets better.  We don’t mourn that our 20’s are gone with the wind, but instead celebrate all the highs & lows.  It was a fabulous decade, filled with memories that will last a lifetime.

Kissed by the Sun

So, what did we do?  Living in Oregon, we are surrounded by endless outdoor options.  Yet, it was obvious that Tuesday’s celebration called for a day of relaxing and reflecting on the beautiful, picturesque coast.  Plus, the weather forecast called for 80’s and sunshine!  WOW — can’t get much better than that!

So, we packed up a picnic lunch and headed west, throwing all “to do’s” out the window.  As we found a prime beach location and hunkered down for the afternoon, I felt a flood of emotions.  Truthfully, it was a day ordered straight from the hands of God.  The sunshine, scenery, light breeze, and soft sand cradled us like newborn babies.  We were in awe over creation!  No words can fully define all that we took in.

Bathing in Creation

As I continue to study and live into simplicity, I’m discovering a new sense of freedom.  Few people shared the ocean with us that day.  Yet, all that were there felt something special.  It was  a day where time just seemed to stand still.  Everything and everyone slowed down.  For an afternoon, we all became children.  Basking in the glorious rays, digging our toes into the silky earth, living in the given moment.  A gift and a day locked into memory.

“To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.”

~Helen Keller

Simplicity, as some see it, is not about self-deprivation.  It’s actually quite the opposite.  As we choose less, we truly gain more.  Not more in the sense of material possession.  But more in the luxury of joy and real living.  Our values change and we begin to embrace something better.  Our eyes, the windows to our soul, gain new sight.  We are invited to bathe in nature and take in what we so often miss.  Our day on the ocean helped validate that simplicity and celebration go hand in hand.  Every day, every hour, and every minute of our lives count.  Yet, the rushing and busyness of our present day robs us of this pleasure.

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.  It will never fail you.”

~Frank Lloyd Wright

How will today be etched into your memory?

Simply Stunning.

Over the past several months, my heart has been breaking.  As I was driving along the beautiful roads of Oregon, I witnessed a massive evergreen tree falling from the sky.  As it crashed to the ground, its pristine, thick needles crumbled into pieces.  Something that was so bold and breath-taking; gone in a matter of seconds.  As I studied the scene, I realized that a massive chain saw had been brutally hacking at its thick trunk.  When the tree and dust cleared, what was left behind made my stomach turn in circles.  A gaudy, over-sized sign:

“STORAGE – COMING SOON!  Reserve your space today!”

Your space.  Who’s space?  Truthfully, it made me sick.  Was this necessary?  Another storage unit?  Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed these things going up faster than we blink our eyes.

As much as I’ve tried to forget the scene, the image of the tree falling has stayed with me.  As I reflect a bit on this happening, I start to wonder why.  Who are we to do this to nature?  What kind of “stuff” qualifies for this type of destruction?  Is it a valuable use of space or just another way for us to mark our territory?

Now, I understand that some storage units are necessary.  Moving, living overseas, family crisis, and death of a loved one all constitute use of extra space.  Yet, in our current situation of economic decline, why are storage units rising faster than the sun?  My best guess is that people are stuck.  And when they are stuck, unable to move to larger living, the reality sinks in.  Where do we put all this stuff?  How can we survive with so little space?  I wonder if the inventor of storage units ever rented one of his own?

So, take a moment to think about this.  In no way do I mean to offend or judge.  Yet, doesn’t it seem silly?  The majority of people that I worked with in organizing openly admitted that they had no idea what was in their storage unit.  And yet, they continued to pay the inflated price each and every month without question.  Really?

Reconnect to Nature.

The thing is, when we rent a storage unit, we endorse it.  And when we pay the monthly bill for someone else to store our stuff, we vote with our money, recognizing them for offering a “worthy” service.  These places would not be in business if it weren’t for our over consumptive society.  Most of the time, the stuff that is stored is just that.  Stuff.  It sits, collecting dust.  Slowly purged, but mostly, added to.  Forgotten with time.  Sometimes, the stuff even gets moved to a larger unit because the smaller one started to burst at the seams!

As I continue to study simplicity, I realize that consciousness is part of the process.  Noticing, seeing, and communicating the things that just don’t feel right inside.  For me, this is one of them.  If this has hit a sore point for you or ruffled some feathers, maybe it’s time to reconsider how you look at the things around your life.  Re-evaluate the layers behind the reasoning.  Why is it important that you keep the stuff?  How will you stop bringing the stuff into your life and home?  If extra space is truly necessary at this point in your life, can you work something out with a friend or family member?  Might they have room for you to store your things, temporary?  Personally, I would much rather give my money to a loved one than encourage a business I don’t support.  Taking time to shed this from your life will bring freedom, as well as money saved.

How will you let go of the excess in your life?  If you currently rent a storage unit, how and when can you hand back the keys?

What is the obsession with busyness, speed, and multi-tasking in our lives today?  Why does it (in our minds) equate to success and a “job well done”?  Now, don’t get me wrong, busy is not always bad.  There are seasons and reasons in our lives to be moving faster.  Hard work does not come easy, yet I often wonder, “What is it all for?”  Really.  Why do we do what we do?  If you take an honest look and peel back the layers, you may be surprised at what you find.  Good or bad.

During my time in Hawaii, I became fascinated by a tiny creature.  So small, yet so determined.  He would make his way each morning across the vast green covering.  Slowly, but steadily, inching his way to the other side.  One focus, one task.  Doing one thing, and doing it well.  Some may see this as strange, but I saw it as an important reminder and relevant metaphor.  In the rat race we often call life, I want to sit back in my old age and see that I lived well.  I want to know that I enjoyed the smaller moments, and praised the normal and routine parts of every day.  I want to know that slow was acceptable and that beauty really could be found here.  To study the lines and curves of creation (as the snail had to do to make its way through the tall blades of grass), I want to know I made time to do this.  I want to see, really see.  Yet, if speed and hurry run my days, I will miss the real gems and reasons for life.

Personally, I struggle deeply with worry and anxiety.  My mind regularly slips into the future and wonders how things will all work out.  I catch myself running into a black hole, where I lose sight of what is right in front of me.  I forget God and try to convince myself that I control my life.  I fool myself into thinking that I am so much bigger than I actually am.  Recently, I read a book called, The Way of the Small, by Michael Gellert.  While I have always been perplexed and awed by the grandness of space and infinite number of stars, Gellert helped remind me to keep things in perspective.  In the scope of it all, we are but a tiny speck.  Earth is a dot, sustained by the hands of God.  Have you ever considered how truly amazing this is?  Our lives are precious, and how we live them, matters.  Yet, addiction to speed and anxiety are thieves of our modern time.  They pull blinders over our eyes and convince us of their necessities.  They rob us, every day.

“My Chinese side wonders why Americans are so uneasy with time on their hands and must busy themselves with activities, the sweatier the better.  Why do they keep changing their minds and ways, jobs and towns and spouses?….Americans are a self-selected breed programmed by their genes to be forever on the go and cursed by the Fates never to enjoy luxuriating in the material comforts and spiritual splendors of home.  Is it any wonder then that they are always asking themselves who they are?  They just don’t stay put or reflect long enough to find out.”

~Bette Bao Lord

So, become aware of your time and how you use it.  Can you justify the hurry in your life today?  What if you focused this energy elsewhere?  How would your daily perspective and life change?

Wow! I can’t believe my last posting was October 31^st!  Where did the time go?

Actually, as I read over my previous words, I realize that one of the things I needed to drop for a bit was my blog writing.  I was heading into the last weeks of my first semester at seminary, and between final papers and exams, my focus was elsewhere.  Part of learning to live with simplicity is understanding what areas can and should be shed to lessen the load.  It is a constant reassessment of priorities as the demands of life change.

Over the Christmas season, I was blessed to spend the month in Hawaii, visiting with my parents (who currently live on Oahu).  It was an amazing time of reflection and relaxation; something I desperately needed desired after a long and challenging school semester.  I can’t fully explain it, but there is just something about the Hawaiian culture that makes my soul sing.  The fiery sun.  The soft sand.  The magnificent blue skies.  Yes, it truly is a magical place.  It’s almost as if God shines His smile on this tiny piece of the world year-round and for a moment, we glean a sliver of heaven.

Most of my visit consisted of trips to the beach, although a visit to Oahu isn’t complete without spending at least a day in Honolulu and Waikiki.  Personally, the crowds and tall buildings bring me more anxiety than they do pleasure, but nevertheless, it’s always a memorable experience.

One afternoon, we ventured into a shopping mall to check out dresses for my mom to wear for my sister’s upcoming wedding.  Honestly, it was my first time visiting some of the brand name stores, and I almost fell over from price tag shock!  A tank top, for $432?  Really??  And, that was the sale price!  Store after store, the outrageous prices continued to flash before my eyes.  I could feel my stomach knotting up, knowing that some people easily justify these types of purchases.  And, while I’m not one to judge, I can’t comprehend the mind that sees this as okay.  I have a hard enough time spending $30 on a top.

“It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”   ~Thoreau

Priceless.

Shortly after the reminder that the gap between me and upper class society is larger than the Grand Canyon, we headed outside to spend the rest of the evening doing something I could afford.  Watching the Sunset.  As the colors of the sky began to twist in color and magnify in intensity, I began to feel myself melting into my chair.  I couldn’t help but exclaim to my parents, “This is way better than the mall!”  For me, this is where simplicity speaks loudly.  I found so much joy from this wondrous site.  No piece of clothing or material thing could ever compare or replace the splendor of creation.  And the best part:  it’s free, for all to enjoy!

“Let us treasure up in our soul some of those things which are permanent….not of those which will forsake us and be destroyed, and which only tickle our senses for a little while…”   ~Gregory of Nazianzus

I look forward to posting more in the weeks to come as I continue to experience and learn about the many benefits of a simple heart.  As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

What parts of your life are stolen or diminished by the endless pursuit of material (temporal) things?

I had a vision the other day.  I was standing in the eye of an intense storm.  All around me, swirling faster and faster, were things representing my life today.  God, school, church, work, responsibilities, hobbies, and relationship commitments.  And, although everything was twisting around me rapidly, I realized I was planted firmly in the middle of it all.  With this realization, I was reminded that I chose many of these things and at any time, I had the ability to drop them.  When this happened, the spinning began to illustrate a slow motion clip from the movies.  As this took place, I started to see each object more clearly, completely defined.  My sight and focus came back.  God most definitely showed up to reveal something important.  He was offering me the gift of being present.  It was imperative that I see these things and know the choices behind the chaos.

How will you step into this season?

For the past several weeks, I’ve been noticing the pace of life picking up rapidly.  One of my favorite things to do is people watch.  I often wonder where everyone is going and what they are doing.  As always, the speed of life is fast, especially as we approach the holiday season.  Our ability to stay present, mindful, and in the moment is tested to its breaking limit.

As we enter into November and December, I’m beginning to sense the tyranny of the urgent in many lives.  Thanksgiving and Christmas become one more thing on the “to do” list.  Between turkey roasting and present searching, it’s all too much for some.  Whatever happened to the spirit of the holidays?  Where have the hearts of gratitude and joy gone?  How did this time of year become something that so many people despise or dread?  When did it become a time of selfishness and hostility?

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Working at the YMCA, I’m experiencing a bit of the holiday, economic, and political frenzy.  It’s almost as if the attitudes of some individuals switched sourly with this season.  Honestly, some people are just plain rude, aggressive, and mean.  Taking their frustrations and negative energy out on a complete stranger seems to be a strategy they are willing to expel.  In fact, anyone working in the service industry can attest to this right now.

So, who will you choose to be this season?  What attitude will you manifest?  If last year didn’t go so smoothly, what things will you change this time around?  How will you bring your spirit back into the Spirit of this sparkling, magical season?  Maybe going out for dinner is an option, instead of the traditional (often stressful) home cooked meal?  Maybe the gift of your time and presence could replace the material things you wrapped so meticulously last year?  Whatever it may be, our ability to step back and clearly see each day, one moment, is a gift.  Will you openly receive it?

“For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is “hurry”.  And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close.  It is only now perhaps that we truly recongnize the spirit of Christmas.  It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries – nearly twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem.  Regarded in this manner, the pre-Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize.  With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal.”

~Burton Hills

How will you be present to those around you this holiday season?  What practices or disciplines will you adopt to invite the Spirit back into your heart and home?