Trim The Sails: prompt
Living In Abundance
It’s an attitude as well as a lifestyle
When I was six-years-old, my family suffered a house fire that destroyed all my possessions. The only things I had left to call my own were the clothes on my back I had worn to school that day. The gift of this experience of great loss at a tender age was to witness that All. The. Things. the fire destroyed was just Stuff. In the months following the fire — my parents would eventually replace The Stuff. I learned that we had not lost any “Thing” we could not replace. We had not lost each other.
I believe this experience led to a natural inclination towards minimalism. You won’t find ‘decorative’ items in my home. Everything here is built for function. The art on my walls are the works of my daughter and granddaughters. My ‘theme’ in almost every room is Family — as photos of those I love grace all the flat surfaces.
Plus — I really hate shopping. And decorating.
This propensity has made the transition to retirement sinfully easy. When I look at my spending habits — I can accommodate my reduced income without issue.
Because Time is more important to me than Things.
Even my usual monthly expenditure at my yoga studio has been replaced with my home practice, an occasional Zoom class…