Reflections on Living a Simpler Life

Once or twice a year growing up, my mom would gather my sister and I together and ask us to go through our clothes and toys. Whatever we didn't want or use anymore was to be bagged up and given to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, or closest parish church. Sometimes I agonized over whether or not to get rid of something, and I can still hear my mom's voice in my head saying you know, can you imagine how much some other little girl would really like that? and inspired by the idea that my tiny sacrifice could help another girl somewhere, I'd put it in the bag.

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One of my favorite old movies is called "You Can't Take it With You,' and the main character is played by a very young Jimmy Stewart of "It's a Wonderful Life." Jimmy's character Tony is a successful banker from a rich family, and he falls for an insignificant secretary named Alice. Alice comes from a wild, ridiculous family living in a house that's basically falling apart, and when Tony brings his family over to meet Alice's family, things (literally) explode. However, the best parts of the movie belong to the character of Grandpa Martin, who basically has all the key lines. When speaking to Tony's Grandpa, he says:

Maybe it'd [failure] stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.

At the end of the movie, Grandpa Martin leads grace for both families, and he remarks:

Well, Lord, here we are again. We've had quite a time of it lately, but it seems that the worst of it is over... Anyway, everything's turned out fine, as it usually does...We've all got our health, and as far as anything else is concerned, we still leave that up to you.

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The other day during a personal holy hour, I asked the Holy Spirit to place a book or verse on my heart that I needed to hear. Ecclesiastes kept popping up. It's a pretty short book, so I opened my bible to Ecclesiastes and started to read.

Vanity of Vanities, says the preacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun goes down,

and hastens to the place where it rises.

The wind blows to South, and goes round to the North,

round and round goes the wind,

and on it's circuit the wind returns.

All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full,

to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

All things are full of weariness,

a man cannot utter it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

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We live in a consumerist culture. Oftentimes we turn to money and possessions to make ourselves feel better. We base our worth on how well we present ourselves to other people, our clothes, our house, our car. If we're stressed, we shop. We shop out of habit. We shop on impulse. We're constantly trying to get the next best thing. Honestly though, it's exhausting. Do you really need that new {phone, dress, lipstick, pair of shoes, car, etc.} I mean, do you really? At the end of your life, you can't take it with you. And I truly believe that it's easier to find God amidst a simplified life than it is when you're buried amongst possessions.

I encourage you to go through your room. Get rid of things. Donate them to shelters, and pray for the homeless and poor while you do it. Once you've filled some bags, pray for strength of spirit to not "replace" what you've given away. Next time you have an impulse to buy something, ask yourself what value it's going to add to your life. If you can't find an honest, lasting answer, then don't buy it. Give your time and your money to those who need it more, in whatever way you can manage. Last but not least, I encourage you not to fall for the lie that your success is directly proportionate to value of your possessions.

If none of this convinced you, maybe a saint's advice will help:

When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.

- St. Basil the Great