The Quest for Simplicity
You all know the story of how I got to be living in the Bay Area and how I used to be so driven and how for so long I blamed my unhappiness on just being lazy and feeling bad about myself. After getting bogged down in the drudgery of paying off debt, I forcedly reduced my conspicuous consumption. That was painful at first, because I loved to not only shop but buy the best of whatever it was I was looking for. I got used to it after a while, and my husband and I were able to pay off our credit card debt within nine months. During that period of reduced spending, I somehow, really slowly, learned that I didn’t need all of the things that I had been buying. I really didn’t need the $20 bottle of shampoo or a new book, CD or DVD every other week. Because, the shampoo just got used and the books, CDs etc just sat around unused. Eventually I just sort of stopped going shopping altogether. I even went weeks without going to the grocery store, unless we were out of half and half for my coffee, of course!
Not only did I reduce buying needless items during this time, I also became generally fed up with our mass consumption culture. My increased TV watching started to bother me, because, even though I could fast-forward most commercials, anchors on the news or hosts on the talk shows I’d watch constantly talked about things to buy or ways to “green” your living (which usually meant consuming more), etc. etc.
Then, a couple of months ago, I discovered an idea called Voluntary Simplicity, a lifestyle that focuses on enjoying the little things in life rather than the pursuit of endless consumption. My husband had started reading a blog called Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity last fall, so I decided I’d give it a go. After I started reading, I was hooked on the sheer concept that a successful, Harvard-graduated D.C. attorney who’s virtually rolling in the money at the height of his career wanted to give it all up to ride his bike to middle America and stare at the sunset. In fact, I had begun feeling the same way. Granted, I don’t want to ride my bike across the country necessarily, but I also don’t need all of the things I have or thought I wanted in order to be happy. All of those things have cluttered my life to the point where I don’t really know what I have anymore, and what I do use is just a fraction of the stuff we store in our apartment.
The funny thing is, I think my laziness actually led me to Voluntary Simplicity. I naturally started consuming less, because I just didn’t feel like going anywhere unless it was absolutely necessary. And as I searched for more things to read about living simply, I came across a this article in On Simplicity. I found that I am not alone in my quest for living a more simple life and being lazy at the same time! This actually made me feel really good about being the lazy girl I am. I am beginning to accept the fact that I am just inherently lazy and that it’s ok. I don’t have to be so driven and go a million miles an hour like I used to. I can be lazy, live simply and be happy all at the same time.
