consumer is NOT my middle name

My dear friend Stephanie in Arizona sent me an email the other day. She gave me some really encouraging words concerning this blog, and also some suggestions/recommendations. Stephanie insisted that I needed to watch a documentary entitled "No Impact Man" saying that I could get a lot of inspiration from it in concerns to my attempts at living more minimally. My sweetheart and I curled up on the couch yesterday and watched this documentary. Stephanie was most certainly right about the inspiration!

Colin Beavan (no impact man) and his wife and daughter living in New York City, decide to go for a year without creating any impact on the environment. This includes not producing any trash, not using any kind of gas-powered transportation, and even giving up the electricity in their New York City apartment. It was a MAJOR change for their family, but, they did it! Not only did they live without all of these things in their life, but they learned to love it. It's a wonderful movie and I would HIGHLY suggest you watching it! For more information: www.noimpactman.com

Now these past 2 days I have really been thinking deeper into what it means for me to live a more minimal life. A word that has came up time and time again: consumer. So many times in my life I have heard (mostly from the news/government) Americans referred to as consumers. Like the only purpose we serve in this country is to consume, to buy. I turn on the television and every commercial is an attempt to get me off of my couch, into the mall, and coming home with clothes, gadgets, knick-knacks and trinkets that will make my life better. Is this really the role I am destined to play in society? Am I just a wallet, dishing out money in exchange for happiness? I don't want to be a consumer anymore. I don't want to play this game. Leave all of the malls and buying and consuming to someone else, I'm done with it. I want to be recognized as a creative, playful, positive, and happy human being.

My sweetheart and I had a long talk about this. How blessed I am to have such a loving person in my life who feels the same way. We have started to ask ourselves, as a couple, some new questions. Can we live in a way that is simpler? Can we figure out the things in our life that are necessity, and can we get rid of all of the rest? Can we not only remain happy, but find a deeper happiness in having less?

I walked into the bathroom this afternoon and found him totally emptying out our medicine cabinet. He said to me, "you know, we don't need half the stuff in here!" With that remark, I knew that we are on the same page, turning over into a new chapter of our lives and our relationship.

I'm not quite sure what the opposite of consumer is, but here's to being that! Here's to wearing my underwear until they have holes!

a more minimal me,
Jordan