Finding Appalachia

In a world surrounded by distraction and materialism, minimalism is beckoning to many of us who seek a simpler way of life.  From decluttering our physical spaces to simplifying our schedules, the principles of minimalism offer a pathway to greater clarity, intentionality, and fulfillment.  In this post, I’ll explore the art of simple living and its impact on my well-being.

Freedom of Less

Having less gives us more choice.  Reducing our material possessions and living in a smaller home has given us substantial financial freedom to make choices for our family that simply could not happen if we engaged in typical American consumerism.  We can technically afford more, but we have chosen to live in a two bedroom, one bath home.  It is more than enough for our family of three.  We regularly face pressure from family to “improve” our housing situation.  But we simply do not see the point.  Why? We are buying freedom with our choice for a simpler life with less possessions.

We have the opportunity to travel, pursue job opportunities, and alter our family dynamic in ways that other individuals simply cannot dream of when they are paying for a big house or constantly making car payments.  Last minute opportunity to take a girls trip? I get to go because we have the resources.  Job opening in Italy? Of course we are going to go for it! We can definitely get by on one income for a few years while we live overseas because we have opted for a simple life free from the financial drain of consumerism.

Cultivating Mindful Consumption

Something we have struggled with as a family is mindful consumption.  We simply purchase too much stuff and we are drowning in clutter.  Decluttering seems to have become a regular chore that eats up a lot of our family time together.

We are preparing for a possible trans-Atlantic move, so this means significantly reducing our possessions and cutting out the junk. And honestly, we have acquired a lot of crap.  We have challenged ourselves to be more mindful about what we bring into our home.  This will require more thought and intentionality, but I believe if we ask ourselves the following questions when acquiring things, it will greatly help.

• Is this something I need? How long can I put off acquiring this item?
• How many times will I use this?
• Can I borrow this item from someone?
• If I do need it, can I get it used and for free?

My hope is that by asking ourselves these questions, we will slow down our consumption and reduce our waste.

Finding Joy in the Everyday

Because we live a relatively simple life compared to our peers, it just does not take a lot to entertain us. We can find joy in very simple things like a small gathering of our church family or a Sunday afternoon spent in the backyard.  One of our regular weekend pastimes is simply driving around town and grabbing some Sonic drinks while we listen to music and talk.

When you lower the entry fee for enjoyment, you will find joy in so many little things.  You do not need a week away at Disneyworld to make the magic happen.  If you live a minimalist life, your child’s world is going to light up making mud pies in the backyard with the dog.  Your child will flex their imagination muscle and not feel the constant need to be entertained because they find everything around them entertaining.  Do not turn off that spark of joy in their eye by adding in too many extras.

Nurturing Relationships

Having opted for a simpler life means a lot more time together as a family and with friends.  My husband and I have been blessed to find jobs that are in our very small town, but that was a choice we made.  We went looking for professional opportunities in a rural community that would afford us more time together and the ability to focus on a more minimalist lifestyle.

Less strenuous work schedules, a small geographic area, low levels of traffic, and a local culture that promotes work/life balance all give us the opportunity to focus more time on relationships.  

My husband and I have lunch together every single day whether it is at home, at the mess hall, or in the college cafeteria.  Our workplaces are less than ten minutes from one another and less than fifteen minutes from our home.  I am done with work at 4:30 pm and can pick up my daughter.  We have plenty of time with our daughter before bedtime! And during the summer, I am off every Friday to be with my little girl.

And friends? We have a whole lot of time to be social.  We have a core group of church families that we are able to regularly engage with on a meaningful level.  Because our socialization does not rely on materialism, no one is potentially excluded from our group for not having the means to participate.

We also have time to meet people from all kinds of walks of life when we venture out and about in our small community.  We’ve met our friends at rodeos and music festivals.  The best part of this way of engaging with people is that you develop relationships with people who are very different from you.  When you don’t participate in expensive hobbies or spend your time on expensive vacations, you reduce the barrier to entering relationships with you.  And you learn there are so many wonderful people out in the world from so many walks of life.

Mindful Time Management

It is not just our material possessions which clutter our lives.  Busyness seems to be the order of the day in our distracted culture.  Whether we are running from work to kids’ activities or death scrolling, we MUST be occupied.

How can we reclaim our time? We must practice intentionality with how we obligate ourselves.  Everytime we say yes to something, we are potentially saying no to future opportunities.  Always consider whether or not you will regret having put that particular obligation ahead of another opportunity down the line.  Learn to say “no” to reclaim time for future use.

Prioritize your time.  What is most important to you? Make sure you are carving out a significant portion of time for that need.  Of course we need to feed and clothe our kids and put a roof over our heads, so work will be a high priority.  However, beyond that, how will we spend our time?  

I want a new truck. How much time at work will a new truck cost?  And how much time is that away from my family?  Is the truck more important than the time? 

I want to play guitar in a local bar band, but now I will have to say “no” to volunteering at my son’s Little League games. Is it worth it?

Delegate tasks to free up time.  Are there things you can outsource (i.e. hire someone to mow the lawn or clean the house bi-weekly)?  Can your partner or other family members help carry the load of household chores?  Is it time for your children to take on more responsibilities at home?  Do some of your co-workers or employees need to take on more work?

Sit down and just think about how you spend your time.  Are you really doing it in the best way possible or have you become a hamster in a wheel, just going, going, going for the sake of going.  Stop and breathe.  Assess your schedule and think about where you want to place your most valuable resource.

Embracing Imperfection

My life is very far from perfect.  I live in a continuous cloud of dog fur and I am deathly afraid of people dropping in to find my child covered in her latest meal.  Even ask my husband. My latest anxiety is that the authorities will take my child away because my house is too dirty.  So, I’m not trying to promote some minimalist, magazine cover lifestyle.  I am simply encouraging you to throw away the societal expectation to acquire things for the sake of acquiring things.

Part of moving on from consumerism is letting go of control and letting go of perfection.  Life will not always look like an interior designer just staged your home.  Heck, it may never look like it has.  And you are going to get a lot wrong on your journey to simplifying life.  But things will be better.  You will find more joy, more meaning, and more freedom in an imperfect life.

In a society that often equates success with accumulation and busyness, the philosophy of simple living offers a refreshing alternative. By embracing minimalism, we can cultivate a deeper sense of contentment, purpose, and connection in our lives. Let us embark on this journey towards simplicity, one mindful step at a time.