New Year's Resolutions 2012
I am happy to say that I completed 11/17 resolutions for 2011. I may have been a bit ambitious with "visit every used bookstore in Seattle" (I made it to one), and it's a little hard to gauge goals such as "Be kinder to self." But in the "go dancing" and "write a book of poems" category, CHECK!I would also like to take a moment to thank my fetus and 6 weeks of nausea for helping enforce the "drink less" goal.
So 2012 will naturally be enough of a challenge on its own as I carry and birth my first child, but I am still a lover of specific lists with much thought poured into them, so I've narrowed down a few items I would love to see come to fruition this year:
Regarding the goal "Live with Less," I'd like to explain what I mean. I recently heard an NPR segment on a book entitled, "My American Unhappiness." The author spoke poignantly about how American's live in a culture of excess and yet are some of the most unhappy humans on the planet. When we want to fix something in our lives, we tend to think of adding things (i.e. exercise more, invest more, buy a new car, have a baby) and rarely do we consider that what we really need to do is redefine our standard of happiness. He said the phrase, "Americans need to learn to live with less." This idea has stayed with me ever since, and I've questioned how I myself could live with less. I am still not sure, but I am thinking that it will come to play when buying the necessary baby things (I think people really tend to go overboard in that arena), but also when it comes to clothes, entitlement about produce (I've been know to be frustrated that I can't find a ripe strawberry in the dead of winter), portion sizes while eating. I am still really playing with the idea, and am still not entirely sure what it means practically. What do you think of?
When I asked Joel what his resolutions were, he said, "Make sausage."
I do hope your year is off to a good start.
5 comments:
Steve has the same charcuterie book. and we happened to make homemade andouille last year. delish.
say 'hiiiii' to that fetus for me.
xo
I'll comment on the question you have for your readers.
Two things helped me to think of what it means to live on less. The first was when I had a fire and had to move to a hotel for 4 months. I didn't know how long I'd be there but I only had a few hours to pack and take what I needed. I didn't even take photos or books (two of my favourite things). I just took the essentials for a short trip away. I found I missed nothing! That was a real eye opening experience. I had taken with me all the basic essentials for living (and all important paperwork) and I didn't need much else besides food which I could buy near the hotel. It taught me that I have far too much!
The second lessons was learned on my first to small villages in the country of Kenya. I got to know the locals and I was invited to many of their homes. What I noticed is how little the people had. Even those that were better off, did not have an abundance of stuff. Their homes were very basic and many had even less than the basics. Of course I expected poverty but it is still another things to see. The luxuries like books and toiletries were not present. Not even scraps of paper to use was eye opening. They don't have all the junk mail we get and they don't have the funds to purchase things like books and paper. What they do have they save for their children's books and paper needs when they go to school. I really determined at that time that I had far too much and that I needed to be grateful for every single thing I had. Even the most basic of things. After that I started to try and change my lifestyle to get rid of things I don't really need, to stop accumulating things I don't need, to save money on eating out and what I eat in, and to try and help even one villager to have a better life. I still have lots of stuff, I still go out and eat once in awhile, I still buy things I need. But I do everything with more thought to what I am doing. I've kept a lot of things I don't need because I've paid good money for them.. Over time, as I use things like books, they will be given away. I'm happy about that. It is freeing to let go of stuff. My life has been enriched by this new (to me) way of doing things.
Thank you for asking us for our thoughts. Good luck as you figure out what live with less means for you <3
living with less is such a struggle for me personally. I am definitely one of those people who thinks adding more will help. so, like you, I'm still trying to figure out what it means to live with less.
two books that have really made me think about such things are: the power of less by leo babuta (which I'm still in the middle of, actually), and animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver. I can't fully speak to the first since I haven't finished it yet, but the second especially addresses to the question of food. it's a very interesting read.
as always, thanks for your thoughts! I always enjoy reading them.
I just can't think of any appropriate way to say that I would eat Joel's sausage. But if he makes it, I'll dine.
For me, I'm working on consistency, claiming, and moving slow enough to see all the angles. I think you know what I mean.
- K
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