I’d just like to wish all my American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. I’ve always loved this holiday, because it encourages us to focus on, and be grateful for, what we have. And when we stop to think about it, most of us truly have enough.
Furthermore, it makes us stop and realize that material goods are not the source of happiness—far from it, in fact. Friends, family, love, and good health—these are the things that make our lives truly rich. We really don’t need much beyond that.
When my friends and I were in our early twenties, before we had families of our own, we all used to meet up on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Fresh off trains and planes, we would gather in a bar for a few hours before going home to parents’ and relatives’ houses.
In terms of possessions and money, we had little to none; in fact, for some of us, scraping up the train or plane fare home was a major undertaking. Yet we couldn’t be happier; we were heady with freedom, and the world was full of possibility.
It’s this sense of liberation that minimalist living has allowed me to recapture. And since we don’t have friends or family to celebrate with in the UK, my husband and I plan to spend our Thanksgiving evening relaxing in a pub–being grateful for the amazing opportunity to live here, and the chance to explore how little we need (in terms of stuff) to truly be happy.
On another note, I hope you’ll join me in supporting Buy Nothing Day (this Friday, Nov 27 in the US, and Saturday, Nov 28 in the rest of the world). For those unfamiliar with it, Buy Nothing Day is a 24-hour moratorium on consumer spending, conveniently timed in the US to coincide with Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.
You can participate simply by staying out of shops and malls for the day; the more activist-minded can join anti-consumer demonstrations and protests. For events in your area, see the Buy Nothing Day page on Adbusters.com.
It’s a wonderful way to express your minimalism—and send a message to the corporate and marketing world that “We have enough!”
I’m not sure to join you, tomorrow will be my first shopping day since july …
Hello again, MM!
Happy Thanksgiving! Just checking in and enjoying your recent posts. It’s so refreshing to read of experiences where one enjoys having just “enough” and not focusing on continual consumption.
Poang chairs rule! The one “furniture” item that I also would keep. Mattress on floor (albeit, carpeted) – check! I’m back and forth on whether or not I’ll be relocating in the foreseeable future. If I do, it’s great to know that I can and will travel light.
Take care, Jean
ps: Regarding the couch question, Back in the 1990’s I read a book by Ernest Callenbach where he wrote in detail about the impractical function of a couch. The alternative seating you and your husband chose is the very same I had planned for when relocating :-)
As a teacher with 10 extra kilos I badly needed a few decent clothes. Unfortunately, thrift stores didn’t have any so i has to buy full prices !
Just two pants, since a healthier diet begins after an awful divorce.
nicole 86, if you haven’t shopped since July, you certainly deserve to buy the new clothes you need! I’m so sorry to hear about your divorce, but hope that a better, happier life is the result.
Hi Jean–thanks for the nice words! It seems we have very similar tastes in “furniture.” We’d be great advertising for Ikea–“those who choose only one piece of furniture, choose the Poang.” :-) I’ll have to hunt down that book by Callenbach; it sounds like an interesting read!
I have never enjoyed shopping for clothes. I either buy to replace what is worn out or when I need a basic for a job requiring me to dress better than I was. I bought 2 solid color skirts once when I got a promotion and I bought 2 dressy pairs of slacks and 3 nice tops when I started a new job. Once a year I buy a new cardigan sweater for the fall and winter. My son first learned about black Friday when he was in the Navy. All the women on the ship were excited to shop the sales and he wondered why I never had. I don’t like crowds and I am really not a shopper.