I grew up in a log cabin in Northern Wyoming. My parents purchased some acreage and a cabin in a town named after my great, great grandfather, Byron. They stretched and paid a thousand dollars for it. Over time, the cabin was added to, stucco’d over, and make to look like a regular home in a small town, but the guts of the home, the foot and a half thick log walls, remained – even now almost a hundred years later.
I think back on those days with deep gratitude. My parents were children of parents who lived through the great depression. “Penny wise and pound foolish” wasn’t just a trite saying, it was a lived principle. My mom showed me the last penny in her purse on more than one occasion, just a few days before pay day. To dine in a restaurant was rare. We did not have a café in town. It was only on a short trip to another town that such an extravagance might be allowed.
OK,… you are wondering, “Why are you living in the past?” I once heard a wise priest tell his daughter who accused him of the same: “I do not live in the past, the past lives in me.” And that is why I step back in time – to bring alive the principles taught by lived experiences. These are experiences that are hard to live on your iPhone.
While in Ireland this past summer, I took a picture of an old homestead preservation of the past.
You can see in the photo a water well, a small paddock, and a small home. A hand cart rests in front with a large milk jug upon it. So simple, so wonderful. In Ryan Holiday’s great book Stillness is the Key, he talks about getting rid of our stuff. He said “Mo’ money, mo’ problems, and also mo’stuff, less freedom.” To get to a life of abundance without stuff, he recommends going back to a time of simplicity. He said “You were born free – free of stuff, free of burden. But since the first time they measured your tiny body for clothes, people have been foisting stuff upon you. And you’ve been adding links to the pile of chains yourself ever since.”
I see current generations striving to return to a simpler life. I honor them for that.
My late son Skyler (Bear) talked about this turning back time and returning to a simpler life. Bear always felt like he was born in the wrong era. He got rid of a lot of his stuff. He reduced wants to needs. He measured carefully if possessions really increased the joy in life. He was careful to eliminate debt and tried not to be “owned” by things. He was successful. He was happier and more fulfilled, less burdened, more still. Even though he lost the battle to stay in this world, he won the victory by living into the things that matter most.
Perhaps it’s the adults in the room I am talking to (50 and older) when I say that the principles we inculcate into our living experience add far greater value than the 401K. If you find peace in your vocation, your call in life, the way you choose to live, it mattereth not how much gold you put on your plate. I have been to enough of the struggling parts of the world to know that joy, real joy, is not driven by the assets on your balance sheet. One can “thrive” with little and still live the abundant life.
Oh, a little jingle in the pocket doesn’t hurt – especially if we can reach into that pocket and bless those around us. That is exactly what scriptures teach us, to GIVE to the needy, to RESCUE those who are downtrodden. AND, if we are blessed with more than we need, we might consider doing the Lord’s bidding in blessing the poor. That is the only reason to be blessed with extra stuff – to share it or give it away.
My three brothers and I shared the same bedroom with two queen beds in that log cabin. We never felt we needed more. We developed relationships in those close quarters that would never have blossomed in a mansion. The small cabin was our mansion. We didn’t know we were missing out on anything. Truth is we always had plenty. Remembering those days and how I grew up fills me with gratitude as I strive to live the second half of life in a more meaningful way. Figuratively stepping back in time to evaluate a more meaningful way of living is key to making a future brighter than ever before.
At this holiday season, I invite you to do a little self-discovery. How are you dealing with your “sfuff?”
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to all.
