Less is More

September 11, 2014

“I need…” what a silly phrase to use.  What do we need, really? We need food and water to live and we indulge much more with that than even necessary. We need air to breathe. And, above all, I believe we as people need to feel love—the real, unconditional kind that accepts you even after your biggest screw-ups, the kind of love that doesn’t stop pursuing your heart and captures every need your soul could ever long for. That is what we need. We don’t need a flat screen for football season. We don’t need a 4,000 square foot home.

And, what makes us feel like those things are necessary to happiness is beyond me. Or, the thought that those things will fulfill us? Yeah, we’ve all been there trying to satisfy our hearts and souls with empty wants. When you look at celebrities who have all the riches, fame and glory, do they have all they need? If they did, we wouldn’t see tragedies time and again of them taking their own lives.

 

The saying “less really is more” couldn’t be more truthful.  I wasn’t aware how true this phrase really was until recently. When you think about the things in life that make a person happy, the true happiness almost never involves material things.  Sure, those items bring a moment of happiness, but when you look back at the times in your life when you were truly happy, I would dare say that the most cherished moments wouldn’t be about “stuff” at all.  There’s the moment your child takes his first step, the last embrace of a loved one or the time your family laughed until they cried. Those moments can’t be bought in a store.

In fact, I might even go further and say that the more you gain, the less you really have.  I personally think it clouds the landscape of your life. I say this not from a stance of looking down on any individual, but a personal reflection of my own mistakes and past mentality. Only now am I beginning to realize how diluted my view on this had been. I thought I understood the concepts of need versus wants, but I was so far off. When you take it all away is the absolute moment when you realize how liberating life is without that extra “baggage.”

To say we sacrificed by selling most of our stuff, now seems almost ridiculous to me. The truth is without seeking out material gain to make us happy, we are for the first time present in our own life for the moments that will forever shape who we are. I’d say that’s a pretty good trade. We aren’t living for when we move into that fancy house or when we save up for a vacation. Our happiness isn’t centered on “when we have…” because we now understand we have everything. Each day is an adventure, a chance to see and experience things that we may never have the chance to again. For once, I feel like I have everything I need and could even want. I have a family who, although can be the source of my frustration, I wouldn’t trade my moments with for anything. Yes, we currently reside in a 28 foot trailer. It is truly a miracle, because we have heat when it’s cold, air when it’s hot, a fridge that stays packed with food, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet, love for each other and a hope beyond any other that guides us. Heck, we even get free Wi-Fi and television…most of the time! Unbelievable, isn’t it?! I can’t think of anything that would make this experience better that we could “buy” at the store (except for the occasional resupply of bug spray…lol). We are learning, and it is a daily lesson, to appreciate the gifts that come from something bigger than us and to live with an essence of gratitude for what we have. We for once realize that we have oh so much more than we need! What is amazing to me is that we sold 95% of our stuff, but we are still living richer than probably 95% of the rest of the world. Mind-boggling. How is that even possible? There is something to be said for perspective.

For us, less really is more. We don’t have it all figured out, but with each day brings a deeper understanding and appreciation for the things we used to take for granted.