My Minimalist Spring Time The Best Season To Embrace Positive Change
Yes, my minimalist springtime again! For me, spring is my Minimalist New Year. It’s the time when I reflect on the past year and try to tweak my life towards a simpler, uncluttered, meaningful existence. I like to reflect on what worked and what did not work over the past year to add more value to my days.
Using public transportation whenever possible has worked well for me this year. I actually enjoy feeling like a tourist as I visit cities and towns while traveling as a digital nomad. As discussed in the earlier post, you get to see and experience much more and meet interesting people when using public transportation and walking to get around.
The only downside to this change is that I get to walk by many local food establishments. As a sort of foodie, I ensure I partake in the local offerings. LOL. The lie that I tell myself that it would be alright to eat as much as I would like because I was walking more and the calories would burn off does not hold true ;-( This action may be a contributing factor to my next problem.
For my minimalist springtime, I decided to edit my wardrobe down to about five pairs of pants and shirts. I chose not to do this by donating or giving anything away. I decided not to replace those items as they wore out until I reached my magic number.
The problem I was and am still having is that my pants and shirts are wearing out unusually fast. The crotch, inner leg, outer hip area, and anywhere else my pants and shirts make contact with the outside world wear out quickly. I explored many possible causes and have been unable to remedy the problem.
Looked into checking the quality of the clothing and the possibility that I have gained weight. I believe that walking much more and sitting on buses and trains are contributing to the early demise of my clothing. Stay tuned for the final report.
For my minimalist springtime, carrying water and not buying beverages on the road whenever possible has been working great. I decided to do this for environmental reasons, but I have also benefited in other ways.
Of course, I benefited financially because I no longer pay the high prices for sodas and other sugary drinks. I have lost weight, enjoyed other health benefits from drinking more water, and did I mention it is kind to the environment?
For my minimalist springtime editing, the kitchen was painful. I am a gadget guy and like buying a lot of them. My goal was to get rid of anything that lacked a dual purpose. If the task could be done by something else, it was removed from the kitchen.
If I did not use the gadget in six months, it would be removed from the kitchen. Some of those items I believed I could not live without, or at least would miss. This has proved not to be true. The separation was actually painless. This has led to an uncluttered, stress-free kitchen.
I love, love, love my experience with the Freegan movement last year. My eyes have been opened to the excessive waste the nation produces. I have seen food being paid for (top dollar, I may add) and then thrown out, only to be had for free a few hours later.
Also, a few blocks in either direction, people would go hungry. I am proud to admit I have to pick food out of the trash to eat delicious food thrown away minutes ago. Most of the fruits and vegetables had cosmetic defects, and nothing else was wrong with them.
They are thrown out because the store wants their products to “LOOK” better than competitors’ in the hope of attracting higher-end customers.
Other prepackaged foods are thrown out due to the advertised expiration date. You could be paying top dollar one day and getting those same items thrown in the trash the next. I know it sounds bad, but in the back of my mind, I wonder if the smaller mom-and-pop store is getting some of its products this way. Hummmmm!
Freeganism has me looking at waste, consumerism, and the way mega-corporations provide products. There is so much waste in manufacturing and transportation. This makes me a fan of sourcing our products and services locally.
Well, this was a look back at the highlights of my minimalist journey over the past year. It has been fun and a GREAT learning experience. Also, freeing in that I have fewer things to manage and more money and time to do ANYTHING I like, living more with less.
Last year was a GREAT year for me and my growth. I look forward to this minimalist springtime and summer this year’s travels.
