Busy, busy, busy. Today I was in Target killing time in Birmingham before heading to my free wifi spot to get a little studying done. While I was shopping around for shampoo and whatnot I couldn't help but notice how much STUFF there was for sale. STUFF. I mean, what's it all for anyway? Traveling has made me realize that I can survive so much more simply without all of the stuff. I think back to my house and how much stuff I own that I don't use or need and probably don't even know I have. It's so pointless. Granted, some of the stuff I love and I need or maybe just enjoy, but really? Is it all necessary? I don't think so.
This brings me to another point, busy-ness. In our country we are so blessed and we have everything in large quantities. Our culture as a whole revolves around work. We work and work and work so we can afford all of our stuff. Stuff we don't need. We work and we get tired and we are stressed out trying to earn more and more. When I was in Italy I thought it was neat how their culture took a different perspective on things. They really took time to enjoy life. Most people went to work around 9:00, they shut down their businesses at around 2:00 for a couple of hours to eat and take a nap, and then reopened till evening. Then, half of the businesses totally shut down for like a month at the time for vacationing. Yeah, they just shut down their store completely and put up a sign that said "will re-open at the end of July" or whatever. Shocking, I know. I wish our culture was a little more like theirs in that way. You know, taking time to enjoy life instead of just going, going, going all of the time! I think we, our culture as a whole, would be a lot healthier and happier if our lives were just simplified.
1 comment:
Very thought-provoking post! :) I occasionally suffer from "stuff-itis." Then, once all my closets are filled, and I can't find ANYthing, I go on a purge session and throw out or give everything away to Goodwill or Landmark's dumpster. Life could be so much simpler... I also love the idea of taking life slower. I'm trying to make my summer that: sleeping a little later, cooking and fellowshipping a little more, and reading for pleasure. It makes me appreciate life a little more.
Post a Comment