S. writes:
S.
I am a single mom who was tired and stressed and just didn’t seem to have the energy to keep up with everything that I thought was needed to keep things going. I struggled at stressful jobs so I could afford to pay the rent and provide 2 separate bedrooms for my son and I. I worried about work clothes, gaining weight, what makeup to wear, going to night school, just being able to keep food in the fridge, and gas to commute to work. It seemed like the more I acquired, the more there was to worry about. Then I read an article about a woman who works in Manhattan, where grooming for work was a two hour regimen every morning. As a sort of social experiment she went for a month and wore no makeup, the same comfortable outfit each day, and wrapped her hair in a scarf. She described how she never felt so free. No worrying about her heels or pantyhose. Just able to enjoy, observe and be totally present in the moment. This I thought is what I want.
So I am a minimizer in progress. I have paired down to a one bedroom apartment, my son gets the bedroom I sleep on the couch, which is perfectly comfortable. I have cleaned out my closet and so many of the things I was hanging on to. My wardrobe has been paired down to 2 pairs of leggings, 1 black and one gray, a pair of black flat shoes, 1 pair of black flip flops, one pair of jeans and one pair of shorts, a couple t shirts in neutral colors and I have never been happier. I have learned to love my face without makeup and do feel so much less self absorbed and more in the moment. I am still working at this but know I am on the right path. I have learned to try not to covet things, and believe as the Buddhist philosophy teaches, desire is the cause of suffering. Buddha truly was onto something here folks, when we let go of things, we open ourselves up to peace.
Real Life Minimalists: S.
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Minimalists
