Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The stuff stops here


Acquire (verb): to come into possession of. (Thank you to the Macquarie Dictionary for this definition.) I tried to find an opposite for the word (dequire? decquire?) but no such word appears to exist. Anyway ...

I recently turned fifty. FIFTY! Once upon a time fifty seemed old; now, with increasing life expectancy, it's more like middle age. (If you're lucky.) I may not feel old but I'm definitely in the second half of my life and, accordingly, have decided to stop acquiring stuff. Sure, there will be times when something wears out or breaks and I'll realise it makes sense to replace it. But essentially, I plan to make everything I already own last for the rest of my life. I have ENOUGH stuff. More than enough.

From now on I will (continue to) refuse, reduce, repair, reuse, repurpose and recycle. I will decline, de[c]quire, donate and discard rather than acquiring.

This goes not only for things I purchase myself, but for gifts. After decades of trying to politely resist accepting tangible gifts, it is time to be more direct. No more stuff. None. Nada. Nope. If you do feel like giving a minimalist a gift, there are many options. Consumables like food and wine. Experiences, such as movies and meals and tours and e-books. Donations to their favourite good cause. A plant for their garden. Or nothing. If someone says 'no gifts', please believe them!

Let's reword that appalling bumper sticker message from the greed-is-good era. Let's say that she who dies with the least clutter wins.

1 comment:

Denise said...

I like the sound of dequire. We're doing very much the same, for the same reasons!