Tag Archives: Henry David Thoreau

One vs. Many

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We have a constant desire to acquire more.  More clothes, more jewelry, more furniture, more food, more shoes, more friends, more money. 

Need vs. want.

Quantity vs. quality.

I have realized that no matter how many items or people I have in my life, there are the few favorites that I truly rely upon.  I have chosen my favorite sweatpants, my most comfortable pair of jeans, my softest hoodie, and my brightest Nike kicks (notice there is no mention of business clothes)…I have picked out my favorite earrings, my most versatile flip-flops, and my most breathable summer dress.  There are many days when I can’t settle on anything in my closet and I mindlessly throw on my favorites for ease or a confidence boost.

The same principle goes for people.  There are millions of humans in this world, but for each of us there is someone out there who knows us better than we know ourselves.  This is what we should hope to find and sustain – an amazing friendship; one great love; the extreme beauty in loyalty, trust, faith, and simplicity.  Why do we constantly search for more if we have already found what we need?

Do we want variety?  Search for intriguing and complex, rather than one-dimensional.

Do we want to prove our success to others?  Search inward, not outward.

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. ~ Henry David Thoreau

It is obvious that only having one shirt or one pair of pants is both unrealistic and unhygienic, but this idea of simplicity forces us to reevaluate our purchasing habits and life choices.  I have moved apartments an average of once a year for way too many years, so simplicity has been forced upon me.  I have narrowed my closet, thought twice about every purchase, and as a result have a thicker wallet (minus all of my graphic design tuition bills) and guilt-free mind.  It has also reminded me to focus on the importance of the amazing friendships I have developed, and to make an effort to stay connected regardless of where I have settled down.

Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury…to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind. ~ Albert Einstein

With all of that said, I can always do with more travel.  I have consciously decided that will be my one splurge.  But I challenge you to simplify your life.  Daily practice will reduce the clutter and noise.  You will find…well…a simple peace.

Living in the Moment

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“It’s only temporary.”

How many times have I said this to persuade myself that something better is right around the corner?  Way. Too. Many.

I am the biggest offender of not living in the here and now.  First I was looking forward to becoming a teenager, then I thought it would be amazing to finally be the Senior in high school, then on to a college student, then finally someone who could support myself and live in the big city…it continues to go on no matter what stage of life I am in.  There will always be the next step to look forward to whether it is finding the career I love, or getting married, or having children, or traveling, or becoming a millionaire (ha), etc.  But always looking to the next step reduces my ability to be spontaneous and live life to the fullest.

A friend and I were discussing our apartments and how we constantly feel like our homes and the city we live in are just a temporary solution to where our jobs and friends are located at this point in our lives.  (Moving 10 times in 10 years doesn’t help.)  I then realized that there have been many instances where I have put off buying a nice piece of furniture for my apartment because I didn’t know if it would fit the design of my future house – practical thinking, yet at the same time very impractical.  Who knows if I will ever have the opportunity to buy a house?  The furniture would allow me to feel like I am not always in a temporary state and would improve my living situation, and yet I choose to go without.  I have noticed this has leaked into my commitments and relationships as well.  There is the penetrating thought of possibly moving cities/switching careers and this inhibits my ability to form deeper relationships with the people I interact with every day and commit to courses to further my current career.

The fact is…none of us know how much time we have on this earth.  I have to keep reinforcing this in my head because it is often forgotten.  I am challenging myself to treat my apartment, this city, and my environment as permanent so that I can stop saving all the best colors for the future and fully utilize all the crayons in the box.  Yes, I may move and have a completely different situation in a few months or years, but it is impossible to find true happiness without giving my full love and attention to the task at hand.

This is my life.  Right here, right now.  I need to stop being a bystander in my story and start being the main character.  Yesterday is dead.  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and it hasn’t arrived yet.  Tackle today.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
 
After my day job I am going to buy a piece of art I have wanted forever, and then dominate my Video Production class.  What will you do with today?