Last autumn, I went to Japan to accompany my daughter. She has to attend a school program. There are a ton of activities waiting for us. From sightseeing, visiting the exchange school, hiking, grabbing dinner, and so on. We were super excited. So, we’re (I am especially) beginning to figure out what outfits to pack for each occasion. The problem with us, women, really do love having different looks for different outfits for different events, and that goes for shoes and bags too! (God, have mercy on us). I have this desire to bring a bunch of shoes and bags, but let’s be real, it’s not possible. that’s just asking for an overweight suitcase. Since I have already learn about minimalism and essentialism, deep inside, I knew the answer, I only have to bring one shoes and one bag for all occasions. No, it’s impossible, you may say. But after I think about it a lot, I finally found a pair that worked for all the occasions, and it ended up being the best choice! I had no issues with those pairs during my trip. When it’s little bit warm, windy or cold, or when it’s rain, they never failed me. Yeah, I know, that’s not the kind of fashionista you’d want for your Instagram feed, but honestly, it works for me! I’m pretty basic, and I’m totally happy with it; they were just perfect for my style!
What do you think? It’s not bad, right? (Please, spare me) One pair for all! Hooray! But, you know what, I bet you can already guess, since you know me, I’m here not only to share a story of my trip and shoes/bag, of course! It’s more than that. Sorryyy.
In life, we all have stuff we think we can’t live without. For example, when we are at home, we usually wear a pair of shoes for a whole week. There a jogging shoes, gym shoes, walking shoes, formal shoes, casual shoes, etc. But, back again, when I have to go on a trip, I can’t bring it all, even though God knows how much I want to wear it all. But as soon as I arrived, I realized that I really don’t need that much to do all the same activities that I do back at home. Of course, it’s not only about shoes, this happen for everything that we think we need it but in fact, not really.
Seneca, our wise man, knows it all. He said, “Until we go without those things, we won’t realize how unimportant they actually are. All this time, we haven’t used them because we need them, but simply because we have them.” Ouch! Reality hurts. Let’s think about it, how many things in our lives can we put into that category? Yes, I get it, probably it will be hard to imagine your life without your favorite shirt or other things that we often use, but as soon as we leave our home, we will realize we can still live good without it! You know why, when we are on holiday, we feel truly free? It’s because we leave all of our messy belongings behind, we only live with the one that we need at that moment, we don’t need to think much about what to do at home to take care of our belongings, to clean them, to put them in the right place, etc. We lived for that moment, and only used a short list of stuff. It feels free.
If we feel like we need everything on our list, the things we believe we can’t live without, then we’re giving too much power to our possessions. Let’s be honest, the only things that we can’t live without are the basic needs. Such as food, clothes, water, and a house. Other than that, it’s not mandatory. We aren’t attached to things. I get it, sometimes things like jewelers, accessories, clothes, shoes, or maybe our favorite cup become a part of our identity, at least according to us. But you know what, we aren’t defined by what we have. We are defined by our thoughts.
Remember this one:
Thoughts Become Words, Words Become Actions, Actions Become Habits, Habits Become Character, Character Becomes Your Destiny. – Lao Tzu
Apart from it, just things that we had for a while in this life. Indeed, we have to feel grateful for what we have right now. It’s a must. When something that we count on is not available for a moment in this life, we will realize that sometimes we don’t appreciate it much. It is supposed to be a reminder for us to always be grateful for what we have today.
This is not about what we have, but what we do with all the things that we’ve got. Not to get attached to our belongings, until we think we can’t live without them, but don’t forget to always cherish them as they spark some joy in our daily life.
Love,
Kirana
