‘There are two ways to get enough: One is to continue to
accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.’ – C.K. Chesterton, an
English writer amidst many other vocations.
Somewhere between birth and death we are sucked into a zone
called ‘More’. From needs we progress to wants and then suddenly without
realising it, these wants become ‘must-haves’. And so we have more, need more
and want more.
It was no shocker when I heard an advertisement on buying
new tiles being aired recently. According to the sales man, the sole reason to
get new tiles was to impress the neighbours!
Some of us have refrigerators that are bursting at its seams
with new food, old food, good food, bad food and not surprisingly mouldy food
that has escaped our attention in our eagerness to add more stuff into the
fridge.
We buy bigger cars and bigger houses and bigger ‘everything’
as we get on in life and we have very good reasons why we do so and justify our
purchases.
Suddenly, we are more senior in age and sanity bids us to
downsize.
Just like human bodies shrink with age, we start to downsize
the house because it has become a hazzle to mow that big lawn where we used to have
birthday parties. We trade in the grand looking car for a smaller version so we
can nip around easily in the city.
But the question is where do we start?
Enter the revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying,
organizing, and storing as spelt out step by step in ‘ The Life Changing Method
of Tidying Up’ by Marie Kondo.
The New York Times calls
this book entitled the greatest thing since sliced sushi.
The idea behind downsizing and minimalist
living is living very intentionally and
allowing your surroundings and possessions to become an expression of yourself.
Many of us have that jar of loose buttons or
writing paper that we have carefully kept away on the shelf. In fact, they have
been sitting on the shelf for quite a long time. Let’s face it – when do we
actually need a spare button or hand write letters anymore? Even so, when one
of our coat buttons falls off, we might not find an exact replica in the said
jar.
To quote Marie Kondo, “the best way to choose
what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask:
“Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not
only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.”
The end result?
When we focus on less jobs, it frees up the time that
we have so we can pursue our passions and make real relationships. I heard of
an elderly lady who suffered broken ribs because of an accident. After she was
discharged from the hospital, a good rest would be most vital to speed her on
the road to recovery. But alas, her healing was slow, because she was so used
to doing almost everything in the house by herself despite having adult
children who were well able to help her
out.
I must now begin purging the cupboards and store room. Pronto.
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