Thursday, October 21, 2010

Independence, Meaningfulness, and Serenity

The blog is back!

Apologies to friends and family disappointed by the lack of posts since July. I'd like to think of it as a sabbatical. We now return to blogging with a sense of eagerness and purpose!

At the beginning of September, Garrett and I embarked on a journey. As we started our third year in Houston, we reflected on where we had been and where we would like to go from here. Thus began Project: Minimalism.

Prompted by a news story, we started exploring blogs about living simply. One of our favorites is Zen Habits. As stated on that blog, the philosophy underlying minimalism is this:

1) Identify what's most important to you.
2) Eliminate everything else.

Simple but powerful!

I'd like to use this blog as a forum to document our journey and explain our rationale.

In the first few weeks of minimal living, we identified our goals. Here are our lists --

Kristin
1) Nurturing my relationship with Garrett
2) Working with and on behalf of children, especially those with disabilities
3) Staying fit and healthy
4) Living near nature, among a community with shared values
5) Living a debt-free life

Garrett
1) Kristin
2) Finishing my PhD
3) Becoming more autonomous
4) Being healthy
5) Being creative

Together we decided that our mantra will be "Independence, Meaningfulness, and Serenity." When we examine how we spend our time, energy, and money, we will ask ourselves, "Is this helping me achieve independence, meaningfulness, or serenity?" If the answer is no, we should probably place our efforts elsewhere.

I hope that this blog will add to the meaningfulness of our lifestyle -- or at least some clarity! Stay tuned for more ideas and achievements.


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