When Less is More
By Steve Gahagen
My wife, Jane, and I recently sold our home of 22 years in Minnesota to move to Kentucky. The house sold quickly to a family in California who wanted to expedite the closing so their kids could start school. Essentially, we had two weeks to pack up our three-story house that we had raised our four children in. Fortunately, we are not hoarders, but one still collects lots of stuff over two decades. It was a monumental task. My first response was, “no problem,” but it was Jane who was the real champion in packing it all up.
We decided we were going to travel lightly and would sell or give away all of our furniture and larger items. Our scorecard for each day was to end the day with less stuff. The closer we got to closing day, the more desperate we were to have less. Had it not been for the impending deadline, it was mostly fun.
The stuff we sold, we sold at a fraction of its value, which made a lot of people happy. As we got closer to closing day, we decided giving stuff away would be even better. We were blessed to experience the joy of helping other people in transition. It was an unexpected gift to meet so many people as we were desperate to get rid of things.
In the midst of that whirlwind, it struck me how, for that season, we were doing the opposite of what we are normally driven to do in our culture. We are typically in the pursuit of attaining more, not less. We tend to worship celebrities who have far more than they need. Life is mostly about more than less.
It was surprisingly refreshing to have the goal for each day to be less - to move to a more simple life - to pack up our belongings and travel lightly to a new place. We may never replace all that stuff. Most of the things we packed in our small truck (other than clothes and necessities), were the items that help us relive the memories of the many fun and sacred moments with our kids. Driving away with so little actually made us more focused on the riches of relationships we enjoyed all those years. One can have less and be richer.
Questions to Consider:
What are three simple things that bring you joy and help you feel more alive?
How can less be more? Are there ways you could simplify your life to help you live life to the fullest?
What could you give away today that would bring joy to someone else? Would you dare to do it?