Universal Notebook

Today I decided to donate a lot of my tat to charity. It is amazing how much stuff we buy then just put in a cupboard or drawer when we are bored with it.  

I got inspiration in doing this reading posts from Simply your life’s Blog . Spending my working week advising people to cut back on spending and  not make unessential purchases may sounds a bit more genuine if I did it myself. “Physician heal thy self”

Taking 4 black bags and a box full of stuff to the charity shop felt very liberating. An this is just phase one of the clear out. Phase two is where a revisit all the stuff in the pending box. 

In old japan people lived with few possessions. The Samurai warriors always had only what they needed ensuring that nothing was surplus to requirements. Not only would this assist in travelling to battle but also ensure that the mind was not weighted with material responsibly. Additionally, their homes where simple and every samurai made sure that his home was in order before going to battle. This was to show that even in death the life that was, was clean and void of surplus want. 

I think modern culture could learn a lot here. With exposure to advertising we can be forced to think that shiny things mean happiness. These things give us brief pleasure not true happiness. Also, how often does the pleasure turn quickly to rot when the thing is not what we expected and in needs to be returned. It all seems to become a hassle. 

From here on in I aim to take a closer look at my need for buying stuff and where that feeling comes from. If I find that it coming from lack of joy in my life I will take a step back and look and appreciate what I already have. Myself,my friends,my love,My art and our world. 

By keeping a tidy world we can achieve a tidy soul.