So many people consciously make New Year's Resolutions every year. I am not one of those people; however, it seems like a great time to put out there that I would like to make my personal THEME of 2020 (and even the next decade) to be..... LESS.
It definitely has much do with the state of our planet. A friend posted on Facebook these great graphics from National Geographic UK., and they (as well as the devastating photos and stories of the raging Australian wildfires) are an important reminder of how fragile our planet is right now. I've become pretty good at shunning almost all single-use plastics from my life, including traveling with stainless steel cutlery sets, drinking plain tap water, and trying to buy lotion/shampoo/conditioner bars or toiletries in bulk, and I will try to be even better about encouraging all of those around me to do the same and to use and trash less (I will become an anti-waste evangelist, if you will).
I am also working on having our family waste less food (while I'm a big food rescuer, not all individuals in my household feel the same way about the plight of leftovers). We tend to do once-a-week grocery shopping on Saturdays, but I'm finding that sometimes too-far-in-advance planning sometimes leads to changed plans and thus ensuing waste which causes me a lot of guilt. We may start to do smaller/more frequent trips to the store, and buy things when they are more urgently needed. I'm trying to make smaller batches of dinners so that there are fewer leftovers (even though I hate cooking any more times than I absolutely have to) and (although I love variety) I am really trying to make only those meals that four our out of four people will likely happily eat.
While not (yet) a vegetarian or vegan, I am also consciously eating less meat (I think I could do fine without beef, personally), and trying to (for mostly environmental, but also health) reasons trying to embrace a more plant-based diet.
I am really trying to keep our lives simple and just have less. Despite not wanting family/friends to go overboard, the solstice birthday/Christmas influx of toys and gifts was overwhelming for both my kids and us, and it's made us really think hard about what we want to keep out and around here and what we prioritize. Too many toy choices leads to indecision and poor attention spans, as well as less in-depth play, and I try to keep only a small proportion of toys accessible at any given time (rotating things into the closet, etc.). I've even (gasp) withheld or put away gifts to be brought out months later on a rainy day, or even given some away for Toys for Tots or other toy drives (and hope that I can convince my kids to be on board, knowingly, with these efforts in the future rather than having to do it sneakily). I/we really value gifts of experiences, and I vow to be better about being the giver (and not only the recipients) of gifts like these in the true spirit of not promoting consumerism and the acquisition/production of more stuff to clutter our homes and planet.
Upon returning from our East Coast trip, I have been in a big New Year's cleaning mood and am eager to PURGE many of our old baby/kids' and household items, finding new homes for things that we used and have loved well but which no longer spark joy. De-cluttering now (and not waiting for spring or later) à la Marie Kondo feels so freeing, and it is a great New Year's tradition to maintain (but discarding non-essential things should be a year-round activity). I'd much prefer to have fewer, high-quality toys, clothes, books, etc., instead of a larger quantity of things to clutter our mental and physical spaces. In addition to clearing out things that we don't really need, I've also tried to be much more mindful about things I purchase (making myself really ruminate prior to buying something I could possibly do really well without). I am making a point to, when items are truly needed, buy things used, or get things from local vendors/smaller businesses (rather than buying from big corporations or requiring shipping packaging). I am definitely prioritizing owning higher quality and longer-lasting items even if they're more expensive in the short-term. In terms of just quantities of stuff, I plan to keep and obtain much less.
I also want to strive to do less in 2020 and lead a more simple life. I am an active, task-oriented doer, and am very guilty of being a super multi-tasker in the spirit of productivity. I'm making a point to slow down and try to smell the roses a bit more (check out this great WP article which captures the essence of my frantic feeling!). Rather than being stressed about my to-do list, I will try to fully embrace watching my children play and discover the world around them and to slow down to play more with them. I am starting to be able to let some things go (learning the skill of semi-procrastination, which is against my nature!) and to not have to feel the pressure to get so many things done right away (fewer things are truly urgent than I once thought). I will be better about saying "no" to people and events that bring more stress than joy. I desire to travel less, and want to spend more time in the area of home and the beautiful tree- and nature-filled area in which we live. I want to spend less time on social media and with the distraction of the smart phone and more time diving deep into good books or other high quality entertainment and connecting in person (or via conversations rather than via text) with those whom I love.
Less can be more (rewarding). Bring on subtraction 2020!
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