Simple Living

I know that I always loved the feeling of staying in a hotel room.  There is no clutter, just a bed with white sheets, desk, chair, and a few things in the bathroom.  So simple.  The feeling of peace and rest comes with simple surroundings.  This year I am striving to live a simple life.

I have heard about the guys in the Minimalist movement, stopping everything at the top of their career in their twenties, and chose to get rid of 90% of their belongings and live in the woods simply.  Other stories include a man who owns only a few things that fit in his backpack, and travels to live somewhere new every 4 months or a pastor who was too busy in reorganizing his garage to play with his son and suddenly realized what his stuff was a distraction to his true purpose.  I am attracted to something about Minimalism, living with less but gaining more money, time and energy that you can reinvest into relationships and life purpose.  Minimalism is in essence about reducing excess and distractions so we can focus on what's truly important in our lives.

Does the Bible teach us simple is better?  I believe so.  John the Baptist said to prepare for Jesus, those who have two tunics need to give away one.  He also told the young lawyer to give away half of his possessions and follow Jesus.  The story of the guy who built one more barn to store his stuff who was going to lose his life the next day.  Jesus didn't spend any time packing his things because He probably had very few items because He was on the go.  I wonder when Abram was 75 years old and God told him to go to a country far away, what did he pack with him?  Probably something that would fit on a donkey or camel.  Why not own a lot of things?  Some things are very nice to have.   I think the underlying principle of the Bible is that we should remove any distractions from God's purpose for our lives.  

Why is it so hard?  We live in a society that teaches us more is better.  Every day we are bombarded with ads that tell us if we don't get this item, our life will not be happy or complete.  I saw an ad that made me laugh because it's so sadly true....it was a family of four, laughing and spending time together each holding their own electronic device.  It was the sad reality of today's family spending time together.  Then there is the Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, and the tradition of Christmas with gifts all beautifully wrapped at the bottom of the tree.  We are marinated in this message, "If you are unhappy, go get more stuff."  It was a constant message wherever we go, and soon we believe it because we hear it all the time and we see our friends doing exactly that.  

Things are not bad in itself, but we tend to acquire and keep more than we need for different reasons.  Fear is a reason to keep things because we always need it just in case.  Pleasure in acquiring also is another reason.  It's so exciting to look for something, find the best deal, and finally holding it in our hands.  It's easy and rewarding, especially for those who lack self-care.  We think buying things we want is self-care.  It can be until we keep repeating it until we have a shopping addiction, and our house is cluttered with stuff.  There are gifts that were given to us that we can't get rid of because it represents that person, as if we are throwing out that relationship.  If we no longer need that gifted item, I am sure our friend would not want us to stress about keeping it and creating clutter.  Things like food have an expiration date; after a while, they may lose their usefulness.  Another reason (my main reason) is I don't want to be wasteful.  Why get rid of something that is perfectly fine and not broken?  Is that being wasteful?  This is why I call it "finding a new owner".  If I no longer use the item, wouldn't it be better to give it to someone who can love and use it?  If the value is more than $20, I will attempt to sell it first.  Then gift or donate, then recycle and then trash.  This was so important to me that I spent months doing this before I left.  It made me glad to see some of the new owners so happy to take my things.  It was a painful process, but at least God gave me time.  I got to sell and give away my things.  I heard of people who lost everything in a sudden fire; grateful that it wasn't the case for me.

I followed God's call to come to Taiwan, therefore I had to get rid of stuff:  40 years of stuff.  Somethings were hard for me to part with.  I love metal things, especially brass or bronze items, I love seashells and rocks.   I love my furniture because they were sturdy, and I used them for years.  But nowadays, you no longer use things until they break.  If they are out of fashion, out they go.  It was difficult to reduce but I had no choice.  One thing I will not do is renting a storage unit because I have seen too many people who kept paying for a storage full of stuff they don't need and forgot it's there, just because they want to defer making decisions about the stuff.  I moved to Taiwan with two luggage full, the least stuff I've ever owned.  

When I got to Taiwan and started my life in a tiny apartment, it was very uncomfortable.  I felt deprived and very poor.  I should know that I am a complete person without my stuff, that I shouldn't feel this way especially when I made a conscious decision to minimize.  But for the first two weeks, I felt very uncomfortable even painful.   So, I went to the store and for a week, slowly purchased back everything that I needed and wanted to reintroduce back into my life.   I still don't have a microwave because my counterspace is smaller than a microwave, so I am learning to use the Tatung rice cooker to steam food.  But I did buy enough things for me to feel cozy and comfortable in my own home.  That amount is different for each individual and is determined only by you.  Currently, I do not have WiFi or a Taiwan cell phone.  I am still thinking about acquiring those; I have not made up my mind yet.  I admit that I enjoy not having a direct contact number in Taiwan because I don't need to check my phone often for calls or messages.  I kind of like the peace that comes with not knowing anyone.  

How do I feel with less?  First thing I noticed is that I have a lot more time.  I don't have clutter to clean or move around.   I noticed that there are no thrift stores around me, except for a recycle bin for used clothing.  So I am very mindful when I purchase something that I cannot consume.  Where am I going to put it?  Do I really need this?  Is it easy to donate when I am done with it?  The Taiwanese culture is very cluttered, there are stores everywhere that sell cutesy useless things.  I am getting better at just glancing at the display, admire without acquire.   When I am purchasing consumable items, I am conscious of the size and amount of the item.  I no longer buy in bulk to save a dollar because I have to think of storage space.  Can I move to a bigger apartment?  Yes, for sure.  But I do not want to get back to a cluttered state which takes lots of self-awareness and self-control.  A small living space forces me to be intentional when I do purchase things.  What do I do with the extra time?  I visit friends/relatives.  I read and journal a lot more.  I talk to Jesus.  I listen to podcasts.  I write.  Sometimes I cook or spend time with Ted.  I am learning to be ok with some boredom time.  I think being bored is healthy at times.  It promotes creativity. 

I am at the very beginning of this journey, so I have not seen extra money, but I think in time, spending less and live simply will result in excess money that we can invest or give generously.  I love and look forward to that later.   I will have more energy to invest in relationships that are important to me.    Overall, I am more focused because I live the way I want to live.  I am preparing myself to be ready to live out God's purpose for me in 2024.