Buy Nothing Year

Geoffrey & Julie – “Buy Nothing Year”.

The above link is to connect you with Geoffrey and Julie from Calgary, Alberta. These new roommates are attempting to go a year without buying “things” and by the end of the year to not even have to buy food.

While I commend them on being able to give up “things”, I do think that unless you are very resourceful, you’re going to find it extremely hard to not buy certain items.

I often bring up the fact that I have no idea how women years ago managed to raise a family with limited resources and things like: no running water, no electricity….while part of me longs for a simpler life…I have no desire to be without a flushing toilet and running water….these are two things I am TRULY grateful to have in my home.

I have started to SLOWLY (think slower then a snails crawl) to purge my home of “things”….things that are no longer needed, things that don’t fit, things that are broken, things that have sat in a closet/storage for more than a year…..while I am not a hoarder, I do have an obsession to keeping my “things” and really have a hard time getting rid of them.

I think part of it, is my subconscious telling me that I worked too hard or saved so long to acquire these items, why would I give them away or even sell them? And the other side of it is that I have been given things by people and I do not want to get rid of them because they hold sentimental value.

While I think people do need to lessen what they hold on to when it comes to materialistic items, I also don’t think people should be expected to throw away/sell things that are special to them…like…someone who has been collecting stamps for years…they should not give up their collection…maybe downsize it and keep just the favorites..but, then my brain is telling asking me “why do they NEED that stamp collection..they don’t..it is not a necessity”…and my response is….

Yes it is.

It is a mental sanity necessity. We have things in our life that make us happy…and for some of us, it is collecting specific things…like stamps…and that brings us joy and helps us deal with the days that aren’t so great.
If you can find pure love and joy of life just by living it, that’s awesome…but, for many people..that reality of being so focused and grateful for being alive is unobtainable. It doesn’t make us ungrateful, it just means we haven’t gotten there yet…and some people never do because they are too focused on the negative that they just get lost along their path in life.

So, to have joy in collecting something even though it may sit in storage or in a closet/on a shelf for a long period of time before you share it with anyone…I say go for it! Find your joy and happiness even if it is in something materialistic, just don’t make it your focus or the only reason why you live.

Be grateful for every day regardless of your personal situation or any ailment you may suffer from. Easier said then done, I know, believe me I know.
My anxiety allows me to forget how truly blessed I am some days, because I get so caught up in how I am feeling or what has gone wrong or what needs to be done…that I forget..there is something more for me..and some day I will find out what that is..but, until then, I’m going to be happy with some of my “stuff”. 🙂

But, for you my reader, I am truly blessed and honored that you are here with me today! Know that I am thinking of you wherever you are and that I wish you all the very best!