Downsizing or Going for Broke?
The battle inside the mind of an older person
During this first year of my retirement, I have given considerable thought to downsizing the amount of material things I have. The last thing I want my family members to have to do when I pass is to sort through a large collection of junk I was attached to and could not get rid of. To that end, I have jettisoned quite a few things that I simply don’t need or want, even if it means my closet is not quite as full and the cupboards and shelves are a little more bare.
Running in tandem with this is my desire not to spend my later years acquiring still more junk to leave behind someday. Living in a society hellbent on consumerism, this is no small task. I am constantly bombarded by advertisements telling me to buy everything from technology to toothpaste, from vacations to Viagara. How do I resist this onslaught without feeling like I am missing out? How do I navigate this terrain if I don’t have the newest, best iPhone?
I have always waded in the waters of minimalism, so turning off this faucet was relatively easy. When people ask me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, I tell them “a smile.” I seriously don’t need a thing, and if I ever do, I can simply go buy it. Less is more, or so they say.
