It’s interesting to think about “less is more” at this time of year, when consumer culture takes center stage. Recently, in the aisles of a big box retailer, I saw gift sets of all kinds ready to entice buyers. Many of the items were frivolous or decorative rather than utilitarian. That’s not to say every item has to have a purpose. But I do wonder how many of these “gift” items end up in the donation box or in the landfill sooner rather than later. In addition, our mailboxes and inboxes have been cluttered for the last month or so with catalogs and email offers galore. “Buy, buy, buy” and “more, more, more” - all of the messages seems to say.
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. The shortest day of the year. The official start of winter. With its bare branches, winter shows us the beauty of less is more. Winter teaches us lessons about letting go, about hunkering down and making do, about simplicity.
I’ve always been drawn to stories of people who live simply or in remote locations away from modern distractions. I don’t necessarily want to live “off the grid,” but I do take lessons from those who do. I’ve written about my interest in voluntary simplicity and minimalism on my blog and even here earlier this year in the post “Subtraction: when less is more.”
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When I first read the book Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin in my 20s, I was struck by the concept of trading life energy for goods. Later, as a mom raising and homeschooling three children on a shoestring budget, I read The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn and followed blogs about frugality and voluntary simplicity. And it’s not just about saving money. Getting by with less “stuff” and using second-hand items is also good for our planet. I’m way past the stage of sorting through copious hand-me-downs by size and storing them in bins in the basement. Yet I still shop at thrift shops when I can and try to get by with fewer “things” in general.
Lately there’s been synchronicity in the books and media I’m consuming. In “Cultivating gratitude,” I wrote about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in The Natural World. Since writing that post, I’ve read the short book TWICE. I highly recommend it. You can borrow my copy if you don’t mind all the highlighting. Here’s one passage I highlighted:
“Enumerating the gifts you’ve received creates a sense of abundance, the knowing that you already have what you need. Recognizing ‘enoughness’ is a radical act in an economy that is always urging us to consume more.”
~Robin Wall Kimmerer
Abundance. Enough. Words that come up in the book a lot. Along with these - community, cooperation, mutuality, reciprocity, sharing. I’ve been sitting with these ideas as I think about goals and plans for the year to come.
Four recent reading/viewing experiences intersect with these ideas.
For family book club, we just read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, which I recommend. The protagonist Harold depends on the kindness of strangers to get by on his pilgrimage. Since our culture is focused on hyper-individualism and doesn’t encourage asking for and/or accepting help, this relying on others to sustain a pilgrimage is a refreshing viewpoint. Also, a pilgrimage - by default - entails simplicity. You can only bring what you can carry.
My husband and I recently watched the Macedonian documentary Honeyland, about a beekeeper raising wild bees in a remote, abandoned village. Her only companion is her elderly mother, until a large family moves into the village for a time. It’s a visually stunning and thought-provoking film with themes of conservation and balance and taking only what we need.
I’ve been watching the series Anne with an E. I dislike running on the treadmill, so the show’s an incentive to watch while I run. The series is based on Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne’s an orphan accidentally adopted by siblings who’d intended to adopt a boy to help with farm chores. She’s a vivacious and endearing person and quickly becomes part of the family and the community. The story takes place in 1856 in a tight-knit farming community/small town, where cooperation and dependence on each other are necessary for survival.
Lastly, we watched the documentary Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy. You’re probably familiar with problems like deceptive marketing, fast fashion, and planned obsolescence. However, this film does a good job of demonstrating the extent and scale of the waste. I was struck by images of a beach in Ghana clogged up with plastic pollution and by the reality that much of what we recycle doesn’t actually get recycled. The film closes with some ideas for solutions, but I wish it had more of that. The key lesson is that we all need to buy less stuff.
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To end on a hopeful note, I’ll share another highlighted quote from The Serviceberry.
“The currency in a gift economy is relationship, which is expressed as gratitude, as interdependence and the ongoing cycles of reciprocity. A gift economy nurtures the community bonds that enhance mutual well-being; the economic unit is ‘we’ rather than ‘I,” as all flourishing is mutual.”
~Robin Wall Kimmerer
As we approach a new year.
As we move into a potentially disruptive economic and political landscape.
As we look to heal our planet.
As we navigate uncertainty.
It’s a good time.
It’s a good time to think about community over competition.
It’s a good time to think about nurturing relationships over accumulating things.
It’s a good time to think about mutual aid and reciprocity.
In my own life, I’m wondering how I can connect more with in-person communities. Too much of my time, I feel, is spent consuming media (from t.v. news to social media). I feel too many of my interactions, whether personal or professional, occur via email and text. Certainly we can find community online and accomplish a lot via email. And, still, I feel called to be more in community with others who are focused on cooperation and “mutual flourishing.” These are my musings for now.
Whatever the holidays mean to you, I hope you find joy, love, and peace in the week ahead.
With care and gratitude,
Mary
P.S. Once again, a big thanks to anyone who “tipped” me over on Buy Me a Coffee. I respond to the posts there, but I don’t know if donors are notified. Thanks especially to the anonymous donor who’s supported me on an ongoing basis. I appreciate you!
Love this. Great reflection for the season and start of the new year. My own goals that I have have been working on "live simply" and "slow down." I feel that somewhere along the way, life spun out of control. I am paring down what I own and what I buy and trying to be intentional about slowing down my pace - not rushing through life focused on an end goal. Happy New Year.
A great reminder, Mary!!!
I will have to check out some of those books!!! Maybe even for my book club!
Happy Holidays!!