Tonight I took a few more steps into my decision to find simplicity in my life: six bags went to the Goodwill and four into the trash. Sadly, my apartment still does not look like I have done much to it. It’s a clear sign that something is lacking in my life as I seem to prefer quantity over quality. There is still much to be done while I have this mindset.
There is a sense of peace that comes with disposing of unnecessary things. Each bag I took out was like a small weight being lifted from my shoulders. It has become one less bag of stuff to clean up and put away; one less bag invading my space.
There is also a bit of sadness in parting with so much stuff – this was stuff I spent hours at work to pay for. Each thing I have purchased is an hour or two of my life that cannot be refunded no matter how much I give away. Perhaps this is why it is more important to try to give things away rather than simply throwing them in the trash — by giving to people in need, those hours are not totally wasted.
I look with this mindset to the future, though…every dime spent should be towards something worthy because my time is precious and valuable. If I spend money on silly things, what does that say about how much I value my time? There are lots of pretty, shiny objects in this world but only one me.
Plus, it’s a lot of extra stuff to dust around…and who wants that?
This sort of philosophy can be translated into other areas of life. For example, I always try to treat the people around me with respect, love, and kindness. If a person treats me with those things, I’ve no reason to treat them any differently.
I sometimes clean out garbage from my home, but I never treat people like that- things we buy and the people in our lives cannot be treated in the same way. The world would be a better place if all learned to not treat others like garbage. Never throw a person into the street like a sack of old clothes, toys, etc. Old worn out clothes don’t have feelings, but people do.