Five Tidbits I've Learned From Travelling Light

Today I am packing my 55 litre backpack with all of what I currently own. Tomorrow we head to Mexico, our next temporary home, for a three month stay, balancing some work and play.

The last ten weeks in Montreal have been an amazing experience and I am surprised to find that this round of packing is much easier than others. This can only mean something to you, the reader, if you know of my prior packing challenges, of how I would sometimes agonize over what to take and what to leave behind, anticipating what I possibly could need and do without as well as the justification levels I am known to assign to each item. The what-ifs alone can knock the serenity out of anyone!

But this time there is something different happening. Yes, one year of travel grants an easiness in knowing what I really need and can do without, but more importantly, the year has led me to confront my own perception of owning and possessing things. I've learned a few lessons that I want to share:

#1 Most everything is replaceable. And wow, this is a good mantra to use for easing any what-if anxieties!

#2 Having less is truly having more. When you free yourself from the unnecessary, you feel lighter, both physically and mentally.

#3 What about those things with sentimental value? Well, I've noticed that the memory remains, regardless of having the stuff around to prompt it. Ever notice how feelings regenerate when thinking of monumental life events? (And for those box of baby photos I left behind at my sister's, I do plan to scan and digitally hold on to them!)

#4 When you own less you think more. Meaning, once you break the habitual cycle of consumption you will actually think more about your buying decisions. There is a huge amount of personal freedom in this. Also, hasn't conscious consumption gone beyond just being trendy and is now essential for modern life?

#5 We assign the value of things. There is a lot of self-discovery in understanding why we feel and think the way we do about material objects.

So, in addition to a binge donation and garage sale weekend, I invite you to take your own inner inventory and question your perceptions. But like shopping in the bargain box at a thrift store, you need to dig deep to get to the good stuff, otherwise, isn't there a good chance that you won't reach some good old inner wisdom?

Yours in Minimalism,
the yogi
(Deb)

Montreal Mural Art