This past week our family did something different as we
wound down the summer...and I thought I'd reflect on it for a few minutes before my life goes crazy at CU...
This summer Ingrid and I both read Jen Hatmaker's book
SEVEN where she details her decision to live much more simply as she cut out
excess in her life by choosing to eat and wear and purchase far less in terms
of variety over various months...her writing about her experience challenged
us, made us laugh, and frankly overwhelmed us at times...
One of the things that I honestly struggle with, think
about, and then bring up with our family all the time is the massive amount of
choices and variety of goods and activities and good old stuff that fills our
lives, our budgets, our stores, and ultimately our faith journeys...
It is something that overwhelms me anew every time I
travel to the developing world and throws me not guilt, angst, and
disillusionment when I re-enter American culture post cross-cultural
experience...
I wanted to have our family at least consider how much
excess we live with and simply don't need in a culture and everyday life that
continually invites, prods, and seems to suck us into living well beyond our
needs and what actually causes us to be content and satisfied...
We created some lists of 10...10 things we would choose
for a variety of things for just 5 days...our simple way to try and live like
others do and be reminded of how much we have when we take away options and
extras...at least in a small way for a short time...
So here's what we did...
*Each person selected 10 clothing items to wear for the
week
*Each family member gave away 10 possessions
* We were only allowed to spend 10 dollars per day
outside of necessities as a family
*Allowed to only participate in 10 hours of media time
for the week
*We drove only one car for the week
*Recycled everything possible
*Buy clothes at thrift store only
*Picked 10 stores/vendors as viable places to go to
*Observed 10 minutes of quiet prayer and scripture
reading per day
*Sought to set aside 10 hours of rest in a sabbath
It was in many ways more difficult than we thought it
would be...and the people who knew we were doing thought we were more than a
little crazy...mostly because we didn't need to live this way.
Here were a few of the things we observed and
experienced:
--not having coffee made getting going more difficult and
confirmed a serious caffeine habit
--our moods were crankier simply because we weren't able
to eat wheat we wanted to eat
--repetitive lives seem boring and blasé and lifeless
--giving away 10 items is ridiculously easy...we may have
been able to do this several times over and still lived the same
--we did more reading and talking without media
--changes in weather are a big deal without lots of
clothes (we had a strange summer cold snap during our August week)
--you lose a little sleep and don't schedule extra
appointments with only one vehicle
--without tons of options and purchase options we would
most likely be thinner and wealthier
--I heard less complaining as the week went on...not sure
if that was because we were learning to live with it or because we knew it
would soon be over
After our week living 10 was done, we actually broke out
of the experiment by going to the newly opened 5 GUYS restaurant here in GR
where hundreds of people stormed the place and it offered over 20 toppings for
your burger and a soda machine that paralyzed you with hundreds of flavor
kinds...so yes, we are still fully American and not ready for any sort of
sainthood status...
As we talked together about the week there was a mix of
new awareness of how we live with way too much and a bit of recognition that we
would have to do something even more drastic to actually shift our lifestyle
and habits for good to how they probably should be...
Doing the 10 experiment was meaningful and productive and
something that will be a reference for our family going forward as we continue
to think and ask and pray and live with the needs of our brothers and sisters,
what is truly healthy in all ways for our family unit, and the call of Jesus to
live a life of faithfulness and sacrifice in mind...and I hope that a year, a
decade, a generation later living 10 will be simpler and require less change
because we resist the cultural mandate for stuff and more stuff because we find
that living simply brings a deeper joy and contentment and love as followers of
the One who lived a simple life of godliness without very much stuff as He
saved us from our junk through His life and death...
Check out the book that started this journey for us and
create your own 10 list:
SEVEN
1 comment:
Love it Chip!! I really appreciate that even in the midst of your experiment you are willing to acknowledge the fact that you still live in an American context where abundance is an inherent part of life for those that are gainfully employed.
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