Spent some time soul searching lately. Trying to figure out things, and I decided how desperate I am to simplify my life. Overwhelmed by so much and all those needless things seems to only make it harder. We live in a world where everyone wants bigger houses, more technology, multiple cars, more more more.
With all those wants, people are suffering and they don’t even know it. We have households where both parents work long hours and having strangers watch their kids for 10 plus hours a day just so we can live in big houses or to buy expensive technology that quickly outdates itself, all at the expense of our children.
Now I understand that not every situation is perfect and sometimes there is only one parent and they will need to work to support their kids. These parents have the additional stress to be there for their kids and provide, and hopefully there are supportive people in their lives to help in giving their kids a well-rounded, loving environment. However, in trying to spend more precious time with their families, they can look to eliminate needless things that distract from what’s really important.
But in my quest to try and center and balance my life, I’ve looked at my role, my abilities, and mine and Vanessa’s needs, then I looked at what things have little meaning to our happiness. For example, I’ve noticed Vanessa has much less toys than most of her friends. My rule is, if it doesn’t fit in the closet, you have too much. Not once has she acted that she was underprivlidged or suffered because she had too little dolls. I needed to apply these kind of rules to my own life.
Do I need a brand new computer? No, it’s a want. A want that leads to having to work harder to spend a great deal of money for something that won’t give me lasting gratification. It will take my time away from Vanessa and my family, and for me, my time with them is the most important. At some point I will need to replace this computer for work reasons, but to constantly buy the product seems silly.
That goes with houses. I think having large homes is superficial if its at the expense of depleted energy, less time with family, and serving time in our community. Even if I had the money, I still wouldn’t buy a big house. More cleaning and money to maintain. But I digress, having a large home is a want with no real value. I want a small house. One even smaller than the one I’m living in.
I don’t mean to preach. If one can truly afford a large home without making those sacrifices like raising our children or our health, than I think that’s wonderful. But for most of us, we all have extended our wants to the point we believe they are a need. And there are only a couple needs I have in my life, and my time watching that grow and blossom is most important to me.
