I was listening to a local radio show the other day, and they were talking about someone who had extremely downsized their house. When I say downsize I mean they went from 3,000 square feet to under 1,000. The radio show hosts were talking about how much easier their lives would be if they downsized, if they simplified. And just this morning I came across these pictures…
This has got me thinking about how busy, complicated, & stressful life in our culture has become. The normal American family lives in a house that is way bigger than they need (and paying more than they can afford for it), many times both parents are working more hours than ever, kids are in 3 or 4 activities at a time (which is expensive and time consuming), and our nation is overweight. Welcome to the American Dream…or really the American Nightmare.
Our culture says bigger is better and more is better, but I’m not convinced.
Here’s a small, simple example from my life recently. About a month ago we moved into a new house. We decided with the move to go without cable. I was not excited about this decision and honestly thought (and kind of hoped) we’d cave after a week and get cable after all. But guess what? We’ve gone just over a month with no cable and I’m still alive. In fact, I find that now there’s one fewer distraction in the evenings so I spend better time with my family, waste less time, and am more productive.
Now, cable is not bad. But it is an excess. And I can live (and possibly live better) without it. And that’s just one easy example.
Would your life be easier if you had less excess in it? Of course it would, but what would that look like for you?
What if you stopped taking on extra tasks at work as often to spend more time at home with your family? More memories, less stress.
What if you limited the activities your kids are involved in from three or four to only one or two? You’d actually have a free night or two during the week, not to mention the money you’d save. And I’m not saying keep your kids cooped up in the house all of the time, but I’m saying stop being so overly busy that you can’t really enjoy your life.
What if you took more control of what and how much you ate? I’m not saying become a vegetarian or don’t eat sweets ever again. But, what if your diet had less excess? Can I admit I struggle with this? Will power in the food area is not my strong suit, so this one’s definitely for me too. But, less excess in your diet will lead to a longer life and a better quality of life. What’s better than that?
There are tons of other areas I could cover, and only you know what areas are worth considering for you. But, don’t you think it’s worth thinking about cutting back, calming down, and living with less excess? You know you could do with less stress, less worry, and more living. Who couldn’t?