Around a week ago, H and I had a few friends over. It was
great fun! Our first time to have people over. I kept thinking,
"are we all going to fit in here?" Well fit we did and I must say
it was a nice night for us all.
At the start of the evening J pleasantly remarked, "Wow,
do all your clothes really fit in that cabinet?" The answer is
a resounding yes. You see, Hubby and I are trying to master
the art of living comfortably with precious few.
Okay, I admit, we are somewhat cheating. We still have things
with my wonderful in-laws. They're mostly wedding gifts which
we do not have the heart to part with, some clothes (for when we
visit) and books. But for our day to day living, we have managed
to pare things down to the bare necessities.
We live in a studio type apartment. The main room is our
bedroom and home office. We have a bed, a clothes cabinet,
a bookshelf and 2 slim tables. We have a small adjoining area
for our kitchenette. We have there a folding table. And right
beside the kitchenette is the bathroom. That's pretty much it.
Why do we choose to live simply?
Firstly, because we are happy living this way. We try to let go
of the desire to acquire things that we don't need. Too many
things can clutter one's physical space. People do not realize
that this physical clutter can cause unnecessary emotional and
mental strain.
Secondly, because H and I are dreamers. There are many things
we'd like to do and many places we'd like to go. There is the
quality of education we'd like for our future children. There
is the small business that we are growing. There are the future
businesses we'd like to have. There is also the quality of life
we'd like to have in our retirement. In the older days, this was
known as delayed gratification. We know that we cannot possibly
achieve all these if we did not put aside enough today. Oh yes,
we also like to plan for the "unexpected guests". The emergencies
that could show up when we least expect them.
Lastly, because we believe that it's the right thing to do. Our
money is not just for us. We believe in tithing. We also believe
in helping those in need. We are not a big fan of dole outs. What
we do is support organizations that provide opportunities for
the poor to make sustainable changes in their lives.
If you notice, I used the word "choose". Living simply is very
much an active decision. There will always be the temptation to
buy buy buy. We are human too. But if you have the right whys,
it's much easier to stick it out.
