#003: Minimalist

I used to seek happiness in the wrong places, like material things. It took me years to realize such gratifications were short-lived. I was always onto the next thing that excited me more, that gave me a high, so to speak.

Well, I want to be done with that; I guess I am growing out of that phase (although I still have a long way to go!). Having traveled so much in the last couple of years, I realize things actually weigh me down and drain my energy. My lifestyle forced me to take a hard look at every single thing I owned. I don’t need 50 or more pairs of shoes to have a happy life, you know?

Speaking of which, just the other day a North Korean refugee was released from jail. He was wearing shabby looking jail sleepers. He was taken to the donation room and was asked to pick a pair of shoes. “Can I take two pairs?” The social worker, with such loving eyes, didn’t allow it because by taking two, he may be depriving others. In such moments, I look deep into myself, my monster-self who has… how many shoes?

My lifetime project: own as little as possible and own the things I absolutely love, things that spark joy (The #KonMari Method). I want to own 5 great shoes and not fifty mediocre shoes that I could care less about.

In fact, I want to own what money can’t buy. I want to own a healthy heart, bright eyes, and strong legs.

For instance, what is inside my brain is all mine, my asset. No one can steal that away from me. What I have invested in education is all mine. My knowledge and my language skills are all mine.

The care… “You can’t buy THE CARE” (@moneyle said). When people care about you, that is the best feeling in the entire world.

The truth is… I own a lot already. I am healthy. I have family and friends who care about me. What about the air (my appreciation for the air we breathe exploded after my time in Korea and Hong Kong!). 

I own this day—I can do what-eevvver I want with my day. I own precious memories and stories. 

My life is all mine. It’s not perfect, but the bad makes the good better, and the good makes the bad more tolerable.

What’s around me is all mine to enjoy, including the lake I’m looking at right now.

THE END