Big questions & answers under construction

Who are you?  What do you want?  Where are you going?

As we deal with our myriad worldly crap we were reflecting on how much of a pain it would have been for our kids had we left them with all this stuff.  When my father-in-law died we had to clean out the house.  With the exception of a few boxes and one chest that held pictures most of the rest went to the dump.   Just because we collected leather-bound books does not mean the kids will want to keep & move them around during their adult lives.  That goes for pretty much everything we have.  Unless it has some utility there is really not much reason to keep it.  While pictures are currently my personal exception to this way of thinking, I am not feeling very sentimental about our stuff these days.  I don't miss having it around.

It's ironic that there's anxiety associated with both acquiring and disposing of stuff.  We bought most of the stuff in a state much like this:

"Acquisition Anxiety" by Laura Wacha

When selling things, we stress on whether we are getting the best price - even though any price is actually better than keeping the boxes of stuff!  There is freedom in simplicity.  It is very nice to lighten our load and our clutter as we decide what we actually need in our tiny space.  The toys are a good example.  We started out with way too many toys - it was hard for me to leave them behind.  After being here I realized the kids don't play with many toys and the toys are just clutter.  We've paired it down quite a bit.

Having a simple wardrobe is very nice too.  My work clothes consists of two pair of slacks and 5-6 shirts.  I only teach in-person two days of the week so the combinations of outfits I have available seems to be quite adequate - maybe too many!  I also have a small bin of t-shirts (probably 7-9) and a couple pairs of shorts.  If something is worn out I will replace it, but I will never have more than I currently have (In fact I could probably do with less).  The kids each have one large IKEA bin with their clothes.  Husband was only too happy to ditch his work clothes when he retired - he's comfortable in t-shirts and shorts.  We've gotten rid of many pairs of shoes.  We each have sandals and tennis shoes and I have a pair of comfortable black shoes for work.  

There isn't a person on the globe who actually owns anything - we just borrow stuff temporarily - though many of us go into massive debt to borrow stuff.  We will all die one day and we will be judged by those we leave behind.  They will reflect on the lives we lived, the people and things we valued, and the crap we collected.  Did we lord over a hoard?  What kind of life did we lead?  What did we spend our time on?  What kind of role models were we to our kids?  How did we spend or save our money?  What values did we embody?  It becomes ever more clear to me that we had been living our lives without making conscious decisions about these questions - we just did what everyone else was doing despite the fact that our health (both mentally and physically) was problematic.  

We have both been obese and had indications of the development of chronic diseases (I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and was pre-diabetic).  I have been very aware that my eating habits directly affect my kids'.  Being young and active they are currently healthy - their heights and weights in the perfect zones for their ages - but I know that if they don't develop healthy habits they will suffer as I, and so many in my family have suffered.  Whole Food Plant Based eating has provided us with the answer.  Insofar as we have made a conscious choice to prioritize health we have been very successful in reversing the progression of our own poor health conditions without medication.  We also have kids that are not picky eaters and have diets rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, legumes, and whole grains.  

Last night we visited friends and we cooked dinner together.  I made Umami Almond Burgers and Wonder Spread.  We had a long conversation about why we have shifted towards WFPB eating and introduced a friend to the concept of food as medicine.  My point is that spending time planning, cooking and eating healthy food is such a more satisfying use of one's time than shopping for stuff to fill the spaces in large house.  It is also satisfying to plan meals, purchase the groceries and use them up - something we used to fail at in the past when we impulse purchased food and subsequently wasted it.  One of the most clear answers I have to the big questions above is that I am going towards health.  With a focus on health for myself and the family, other decisions are clear.