Less is More

Following Thoreau down the minimalist path

By Mandy Catoe
 mcatoe@thelancasternews.com

At Poplar Ridge Farm

Three years ago, I took a timeout from life's demands to determine the direction for my remaining years. I quit my state job of 16 years, cashed in my retirement and paid off $30,000 of debt. I had grown weary from recurring credit card bills to pay for things that had long lost their value and more than likely had worn out.
It took the state three months to release the funds. I could only get my retirement if I quit my job. I resigned and left my cubicle behind.
I turned that time into a soul-searching sabbatical. For 90 days, I went through every closet, drawer, nook and corner of my house shedding the excess. The question for every item was “Does this serve me in any way?” If yes, I kept it. If no, I gave it away.
The process I went through created space in my cluttered existence – physically and spiritually giving me room to breathe, explore and grow.
The time-consuming process made it easier for me to stop buying more things that would collect dust and fill closets again. The cycle had to end. Careless, compulsive buying was replaced with mindful purchases. And mindful living.
I recalled a paraphrased Henry David Thoreau quote - the cost of a thing is the amount of life given up in exchange for it. I had paid enough. I had bought things, hauled them when I moved, only to store them once again. 
During this time, I still had to pay bills for electricity, water, Wi-Fi and cell phone. Living simply was cheaper. I stretched the three-month sabbatical into a year. I made money from the sale of old fountain pens, cycling gear and books. House and pet-sitting allowed free vacations. I became a certified yoga teacher so I could give private yoga lessons. I tilled the earth at an organic farm where my take-home pay included fresh vegetables.
As I dug through layers of mementos, each item evoked feelings from my past. The experience deepened my appreciation for my life's journey. Among the treasures I kept were my son's first pair of shoes, my Daddy's pocket knife, and an old softball glove. The cleared physical space allowed me to keep the excavated treasures where I could see them. The cleared emotional space allowed me to be fully present for each precious moment.
I also dug up an old dream. I had always wanted to write. 
Thoreau introduced me to minimalism and the deep satisfaction of a simple lifestyle in his book, “Walden”: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  

With Joshua Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus

This weeding-out process has given more value to what remains. In farming, weeding out is key. Remove the weeds from around the carrots and the carrots grow bigger.
Rather than buying new pens, I buy refills. I gave up cable TV, canceled the gym membership and share books with friends. Reusing, repurposing and recycling ensure the sustainability of my lifestyle, which is much kinder to the planet than one of consumption. Thoreau returned to his life after his sabbatical on Walden Pond. I think of my new life as Walden with Wi-Fi.
I left excess debt, distraction, clutter and consumption behind by taking the time to find out what really matters to me. And now I get to dive deep into life by writing stories. I'm no longer tripping on the clutter.
If interested in decluttering and redefining your relationship with your stuff, check out these resources.
The most well-known minimalists today are Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Their website is www.theminimalists.com. Courtney Carver is another guide on the road to owning less. She offers tips and insights at www.bemorewithless.com.

 Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or
contact her at (803) 283-1152