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One Question to Change Everything By Tamara Franz

Imagine this for a moment: every material object you own—the contents of your house, your garage, your storage locker, your cottage—is connected to you by an invisible cord. Those cords represent the energy flowing outward from you to all of these things; the energy of upkeep, of financial expense, of perhaps simply the hum of low-grade unease that you have all these things that you are not using, that are just taking up space for the most part.

A few years ago, my husband and I discovered the film Minimalism on Netflix, about two young men promoting the joy of living a life free of “stuff.” Having moved our household thirteen times—a prospect that became a bigger ordeal as the years went on and our family grew— Joel and I marveled at, and frankly envied, the nimbleness with which these two young men moved through life. The film sparked in us a desire to have more of that agility and ease in life. 

How much energy is leaking from each of us outward to the things that clutter up our homes and lives? How much freedom and lightness could we gain by letting them go? I have been pondering this question ever since. 

There is a scene in the movie UP where Carl, the protagonist, realizes the cost of hanging on for dear life to all the material objects that connect him to his beloved, departed wife, Ellie: his house, her favourite chair, and all of the objects they accumulated together. In a split second, he understands that, to open himself to the joy and friendship being offered to him in the NOW, he must unload all everything and live more lightly. As he shoves one piece of heavy furniture after another out of the house, the building itself becomes more and more buoyant, rising into the air with the pull of the helium balloons attached to it. What a powerful metaphor for how our lives and spirits lift when we let go of our attachment to the endless accumulation and consumption of goods. Imagine the freedom!

I am on a quest to minimalize my life. More and more, I find myself asking the one question presented in Minimalism to guide decisions about purchasing: Will this item add value to my life? As I return to this question again and again, especially when tempted to impulse-buy, I find that usually, the answer is, not really. More and more, I opt instead for experiences, for making memories. And with each round of culling, each trunkful of boxes I drive to the thrift store, I feel lighter and freer. I feel more spacious, more myself.

What if we all made this our default question when deciding whether to buy? Beyond that, what if we made it our default question when deciding whether to pay our attention or energy to the news and information that clutters up our newsfeeds, our living rooms, and our minds. We all have access to far more information than we need. Must we consume it? Does it bring freedom, lightness, serenity? Or does it weigh us down like a lead balloon that really wants to be floating?

Here’s a 21-day challenge: find a partner and challenge each other to make this your guiding question each time you are about to invest your money, time, or energy in something that is not a necessity: What value will this add to my life? If you do not see how it will make you freer, lighter, more joyful and content, put some serious thought into why you would bother. 

Let’s not any of us miss out on life’s greatest adventures because our stuff is chaining us down.

 ACAN seeks to educate and inspire sustainable practices in our community.

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