Philosophy

Today I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes, from Henry Thoreau’s Walden:

“It is desirable that a man […] live in all respects so compactly and preparedly that, if an enemy take the town, he can, like the old philosopher, walk out the gate empty-handed without anxiety.”

I’ve often wondered, if the place I live was suddenly struck by political unrest or natural disaster, could I walk out the door and leave everything behind?

Ten years ago, I might have found this difficult. I was in a more “accumulative” phase of my life, building a household as a young adult.… {Read more}

I’ve decided that my goal is to have as few keys on my keychain as possible. To me, the less keys on your keychain, the less responsibility you have—and the more freedom!

Interested in joining me? Here are five ways to pare down your keychain:

1. Go car-free. My husband and I have gone from two cars to one (he drives it), and our ultimate goal is to be car-free. I’d love to simply use a carshare program whenever the need for wheels arises.

2. Don’t own multiple houses. Well, duh. But seriously, a beach home or downtown pied-a-terre can be pretty tempting.… {Read more}

A few years ago, I was involved in a group conversation about work and careers. One of the men, in his mid-late twenties, was asked what he did. He simply smiled and said, “Not much,” offering no further explanation. (It later came to my knowledge that he worked part-time helping disabled children.)

At the time, I was somewhat of a workaholic, clocking in sixty-hour weeks. I, and several of the other young professionals in our group, were taken aback by his casual remark. We were all what you’d consider “upwardly mobile,” and it was difficult for us to understand someone else’s deliberate rejection of such a lifestyle.… {Read more}

January is my favorite month of the year.

It’s not simply a matter of aesthetics—though I do appreciate the beauty of bare branches, snow-covered ground, and a monochromatic winter landscape.

The appeal, however, is more psychological than visual: after the excesses and over-stimulation of December, January is like a huge sigh of relief.

Where December is noise, January is silence. Where December is indulgence, January is restraint. Where December is crowded and chaotic, January is empty and serene.

Where December carries all the baggage of the previous year, January is a fresh start. It’s an opportunity to begin with a clean slate and a free spirit, a chance to eliminate unproductive endeavors and concentrate on new, more promising ones.… {Read more}

A lot of people think being a minimalist is akin to being a monk—living a sort of ascetic lifestyle in which you deprive yourself of “wordly” things simply for the sake of it.

Others regard minimalists with polite curiosity (why ever would you WANT to have an empty house?), or write us off as a bit quirky (since when is it quirky to count how many socks you have? ;-) ).

What gets lost in most considerations of minimalism is the true joy that can be found in the lifestyle. I think that’s the number one reason most of us adopt it: to make ourselves happy.… {Read more}