Minimalism in Suburbia

I've recently become a big fan of minimalism. We found ourselves cleaning out our bookshelves the other week and I had about a 1:4 ratio of keep:toss on the books I came across (where 'toss' is more of 'give to local book shop'). The books in the 'toss' pile were in great condition and were still new and relevant, some of them having been published this year. But I had read them, enjoyed them, and they weren't reference books so... they got a second life. That was my response when Mrs. Cynical Yogi commented on how aggressively I was getting rid of my books.

It was, as they say, liberating.

But what about the tools? We don't even have a lot of tools but, man, do we have a lot of tools. Suburbia implies homeownership, or at least some property that needs maintenance. Maintenance requires at least some nominal set of tools and unless you're wealthy (and if that's the case, what are you doing in Suburbia?), you'll be doing the majority of the repairs yourself. That four-pack of screwdrivers and single pair of pliers aren't going to go very far.

So you need the drill, you need the skill saw, you'll need extension cords... You begin to deviate from the minimalist standard. You begin to accrue things. Whether you use them sporadically or every day, you're still accumulating them. And don't give me that 'you can borrow or rent!' line. Constantly borrowing things puts you in the 'mooch' bucket and ABC rental doesn't have it all, nor is it as close as the toolbox in my basement.

This dilemma is indicative of one of two things. Either 1) Minimalism is a great philosophy that has its place but doesn't easily address all of life's concerns or 2) the lifestyle many of us lead is deeply flawed and will take nothing short of an upheaval to get us to change.

We may see more on this later.

Mindfulness in Suburbia

Being mindful and focusing on one single task is great. But what happens when your two-year-old rips you out of your zen state? We admire people like Thomas Jefferson for their contributions, but if I had someone taking care of my house and washing my clothes, I could invent macaroni and cheese and become a polymath too.

I've noticed this: most people with something to say on mindfulness, peacefulness, and general love-the-world-ness don't have kids. Daycare? Limited schedules? Constant interruptions? Where does each one belong when balancing the domestic life with the mindful life?

I'm still working on that...