Torn

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the concept of simplifying life. It kind of all started when I was watching Oprah (the genesis of all great thought processes in my life). She was interviewing people who lived in teeny tiny houses and apartments. One of these families even had a small baby. They all talked about living only off of necessities, and not any extras.

Babies seem to come with an entire army of supplies. Hubby and I frequently felt the need to go to baby boot camp to learn how to operate things like diaper wipe warmers, baby swings, and vibrating bouncy seats (apparently manufacturers see the need to jiggle and bounce the poop out of little babies). More difficult still than learning how to use this "essential" equipment was figuring out how to put it together. It hit me several times when speaking with some elderly people that all these extravagancies were not always in existence. Even I did not have a diaper wipe warmer when I was a baby. But I survived.

Our stuff-obsessed-culture influence existed before Reagan was born. We bought a house clearly larger than what we needed (at the time). Its still larger than what I "need", but how often do I complain about wanting more storage space? In the last few weeks I have realized that my complaints are incredibly ostentatious (which means over-the-top). How ridiculous that in my three bedroom two bathroom house with a full finished basement and a double attached garage, I have run out of storage. Stupid really.

I have always been a fan of purging superfluous items from closets, etc. I rather enjoy looking through a box and throwing out things that really have no bearing on my life. But this behavior has not equalled my purchasing prowess over the years. Every time we go to the store, I bring several things home. Needless to say, I often do not throw several things out. I truly have way more things than I NEED to live on.

I don't think it is appropriate to live on only the basics and not have anything you own just for enjoyment. Its fun to buy stuff just because you like it. For example, I do not need my CDs, but I love music so I buy new ones frequently.

There have actually been times I have almost wished for a fire to burn down my house. There would be something very refreshing to me about starting over. Gone would be the things I keep out of obligation and I would purchase only things that actually 'made sense' with a few enjoyment things thrown in the mix. One particular thrill would be buying new pens. We wouldn't have the odd mix of advertisement/writing utensils and I could fill pencil jars with matching pens. My heart skips at beat at the mere thought.

But truth be told, we'd probably end up with a house full of baby things - cuz some of them we have decided ARE indeed essential to survival.