In reading "The Story of Stuff" I have become significantly more aware of just how much I consume. Considering this, I realize that in my own need to consume, I am also causing myself a great deal of stress, worry and concern. Why may this be?
Well, in my pursuit to consume more and more stuff, I am also continuously spending more and more money. This has occured to a point in which the majority of my income goes towards my housing costs and then debt. Debt! Such a crisis in this country I know, and here I am one of those people who is drowning in it.
Now not all of my debt is so-called bad debt. I have gone to school for a good number of years, including as a graduate student. So I do have some school debt. However, I continue to rack up this debt even as I am at the very end of my schooling and am currently employed full-time.
I've realized recently that if I do not make some drastic changes to my life, this stress of money and consumption is going to become out-of-control. As Annie Leonard concedes, it is in fact an obsession with stuff!
Have you ever watched the show "Till Debt Do Us Part"? Well, let me tell you, I am a single woman, but this show still pertains to me. And I sit there and gawk at how people could get themselves into such a terrible position, and yet, here I am in the same position and doing nothing about it.
Yesterday is a good example. I went out for breakfast with a friend, then took another friend out shopping for baby stuff (she is pregnant and due in 2 weeks), we went for lunch after and then went shopping some more. I got some needed (or nice to do things) like a condolence, birthday and new baby card and a birthday present for my roommate. Then I also got not needed items like new yarn. Later that night my other roommate and I went and got breadsticks at the pizza place for dinner. A day of not eating at home once.... not good considering how broke I am.
Thus, this is my push for simplicity considered in which I will seek to change my lifestyle to become more simple. In my reading and thinking of the past little while, I am realizing that the combination of seeking simplicity, which trying to reduce debt could go hand in hand and hopefully, lead me to the place I want to be in my life.
Will it work? I suppose we will have to wait and see.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Challenge
A couple of weeks ago I was on a flight from Toronto, Ontario back to my current city of residence, Calgary, Alberta. The beginning of the flight had a me a little bit stressed as all I wanted to do was watch the hockey play-off game that was on.
The purpose of the trip was to take an outdoor education course of sorts, in which I had just spent a few days hiking and canoeing in Ontario cottage-country. I'd missed most of these hockey games and had relied on friends texting me updates through the games to keep me up to date on the scores. So, this plane ride was going to be the first game I'd be able to catch, and thus I was quite excited about getting TV on the monitor in front of me.
Once the plane took off, I searched the channels for the CBC, expecting to find HNIC just about to begin. Alright, no CBC for the time being. No big deal, I think, I am sure it is just a momentary loss of the station and things would come back soon. I decide to open up my book and read for a bit, as I still had time until things would really get going in the game.
A couple of minutes later, I hear a gentleman behind me ask the stewardess when she would be able to get the CBC back on. He commented that there was a really important game on, one he was counting on being able to watch through the 4+ hours we'd be flying for. The stewardess informed him (and myself as I was eavesdropping) that they would not be able to get the CBC broadcast on the plane.
Anxiety! Wow, I thought, what do you mean? Can you not simply reset the satellite tv and all will come on as normal? Nope, apparently not. If CBC does not come on, it just does not come on. Oh! I start to wonder and hope: Maybe it will kick in halfway through the game. I am ok with that. Ok all is good. I will just read my book a bit. I am sure this is simply a short term issue.
The book in hand for me that evening was "The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and our Health- And A Vision for Change" by Annie Leonard. The boring plane ride and this book inspired a challenge in myself, something I've had on my mind for the past few weeks as I ponder, what would it be like to consider shifting to a simpler lifestyle?
The purpose of the trip was to take an outdoor education course of sorts, in which I had just spent a few days hiking and canoeing in Ontario cottage-country. I'd missed most of these hockey games and had relied on friends texting me updates through the games to keep me up to date on the scores. So, this plane ride was going to be the first game I'd be able to catch, and thus I was quite excited about getting TV on the monitor in front of me.
Once the plane took off, I searched the channels for the CBC, expecting to find HNIC just about to begin. Alright, no CBC for the time being. No big deal, I think, I am sure it is just a momentary loss of the station and things would come back soon. I decide to open up my book and read for a bit, as I still had time until things would really get going in the game.
A couple of minutes later, I hear a gentleman behind me ask the stewardess when she would be able to get the CBC back on. He commented that there was a really important game on, one he was counting on being able to watch through the 4+ hours we'd be flying for. The stewardess informed him (and myself as I was eavesdropping) that they would not be able to get the CBC broadcast on the plane.
Anxiety! Wow, I thought, what do you mean? Can you not simply reset the satellite tv and all will come on as normal? Nope, apparently not. If CBC does not come on, it just does not come on. Oh! I start to wonder and hope: Maybe it will kick in halfway through the game. I am ok with that. Ok all is good. I will just read my book a bit. I am sure this is simply a short term issue.
The book in hand for me that evening was "The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and our Health- And A Vision for Change" by Annie Leonard. The boring plane ride and this book inspired a challenge in myself, something I've had on my mind for the past few weeks as I ponder, what would it be like to consider shifting to a simpler lifestyle?
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