Going against the flow

An article popped up in my news feed a few days ago about the "de-influencer" movement and it made my day. It's high time for less of the "clothing haul" and "home makeover" influencers who've built an entire brand on consumption. 

Full disclosure: At times I have fallen prey to trends and products pushed by a promoter. 

In the last while though, my interests have leaned towards minimalism. It feels good to buy less, make do with what I have, and get rid of things I don't use. Recently I read a book that inspired me even more.

The Year of Less is Cait Flanders' month by month account of how she lived a year on 51% of her income, ridding herself of 75% of her belongings in the process. She allowed herself to shop for groceries and kitchen supplies, cosmetics and toiletries only when she ran out, cleaning products, gifts for others, and items on her approved shopping list. The approved shopping list consisted of several items of clothing she legitimately needed, such as boots and a sweatshirt. It also allowed for replacing items that wore out. She was NOT permitted to buy take-out coffee, clothes, shoes, accessories, books, household items, and electronics. Cait describes how she once accumulated $30,000 of consumer debt by overspending. In her year of less she sorted through all her possessions room by room and donated or got rid of most of her clothing, books, and other belongings. She faced some challenging times in her year-long experiment, but ultimately it taught her what she valued most: her family and friends. She also found the courage to switch to a job that paid less but was more satisfying, because she proved to herself she didn't need more money to have a fulfilling life.

Now that is a lifestyle worth promoting.

Remembering Grandma

We laid our dear grandma to rest yesterday under the warm Mississippi sun. Even though many tears were shed, I think we all enjoyed remembering her life and being together as a family. She left a legacy behind. 

As one of the cousins said, if grandma had been there, she would've looked much the same. Even in death there was a little smile on her face, which the undertaker told us was completely natural and nothing they did. Grandma was vocal about the kind of songs she enjoyed and was especially partial to men's voices. She liked the kind of music you could tap your foot to, and many of her favorites were sung. I'm quite sure she would've been happy with the music at her funeral. The oldest grandson from each family served as a pallbearer, and they requested the opportunity to carry grandma to her final resting place instead of wheeling her most of the way. When the graveside service was over, it seemed we were all reluctant to leave her behind and the family remained as her body was lowered into the ground beside grandpa. It was a lovely spring day in the South, and it felt peaceful to leave her resting under the sunshine. 

There were some recurring themes brought in the memories. Grandma was a praying mother and grandma, and her descendants witnessed her praying for them. My own memory of that is the times grandma came over for supper and dad would ask her to pray before the meal. She enjoyed praying out loud, and I remember her making comments to the effect that if she were a man, she would've liked being a preacher. She had a ready giggle and enjoyed a hearty laugh. We grandchildren remember riding in her light blue Toyota Corolla or green Chevy Cavalier; she loved to cruise and pass trucks on the highway. She took quite a few of her grandchildren on road trips whenever she visited her family in other states. Her trademark cuisine was good old-fashioned Dutch food and lots of it. The mashed potatoes and noodles swam in browned butter. She also had some unique tastes in food. Grandma liked hunting and fishing and talked about the various creatures she'd cook up in her younger (and older) days. But she loved animals as well, always owning a pug or parakeet in my memory. In her Oakwood days, she made a pet out of a chicken and was resident dog Oakley's #1 fan. Immensely interested in who her grandchildren would marry, she thought she had a knack for pairing them up. 

It was a blessing to see most of Grandma's descendants gathered to remember her. She passed down some of her endearing traits and will live on in all of us!