I think I like less.

I've been reading through a blog that was passed on to me by some friends www.mnmlist.com and I have been finding a lot of good stuff on there. I've been trying to reduce the stuff in my life through the course of the last year and I'm at the point where the last stuff is the stuff that's going to make the biggest difference. I'm at the point where I have to really commit to this as a lifestyle. So, do I take the plunge? If it was just me, I wouldn't hesitate, but I have two kids to consider. I am not about to go strip their rooms of their things or to restrict them in unreasonable ways. I do think there is power in leading by example and I have even seen the power of that through our current project. For example, Brendan has turned away from any new clothing and prefers to buy things from sustainable companies, regardless of the labels (or lack thereof!). I read a blog post on the above site called, "minimalism is the end of organization". Perfect. I want that to be me. It's all connected to the discipline of simplicity and I have to say, I never thought I would get to this point in my life or find these things to be important. I like things. Bright, shiny, crinkly things. New things. I have always thought it was important to own things and have them in my possession - I don't really think like that anymore. I want what I need and not much else. Stuff is tiring and stressful. I think I'm ready to take that final leap and call out Big Brothers to take all the extra stuff away. Perhaps that will be how we celebrate the end of summer...