A Gift Horse’s Mouth

Response on the Gaia Project and the Urban Food Project

They keep giving me gifts; Well-wishers, meaning well, expressions of love.

How do I tell them, their gifts make me anxious? Wondering — where do I keep them? When would I use them?

I am not a “things” person; how do I tell them? Designer labels are wasted on me!

That expensive bag, drool-worthy to most — my only thought is how impractical it is No zipper, too big, perfect material to become instead my cat’s new scratch toy.

I don’t want to look a gift horse in its mouth But I covet experiences more than things And I have an adequate number of things — exactly what I need If minimalism gives me joy, then why do they interpret it as starvation?

How do I tell them I don’t want the gifts?

In response to Dr John Rose’s impressive Gaia Project, Tree Langdon’s Urban Food Project, and Timothy Key’s ‘Just a little more’ approach, I thought I’d pen down my own notions around Consumption, and how I’ve chosen to live my life.

First, links to the write-ups mentioned above:

I wrote to Tree Langdon that having a black thumb, I wasn’t sure how much I could contribute to her project on growing food for urban consumption.

Then I started thinking around the broader idea of being self-sufficient — because ultimately it is that idea which appeals to us.

Growing our own food, being self-reliant, giving back to the earth what we take from her.

But also — and this is the heart of what I want to discuss here today — consuming only how much we need. Consuming less.

In the past 5 years I moved a lot, living in 7 homes across 2 countries. And in so moving, I shed a lot of baggage, literally and figuratively. We tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, so much of which stays hidden in cupboards gathering dust. And then we have a brief spurt of nostalgia when we come across it — likely when packing it in a box during a move — and away it goes into hiding again for another indeterminable amount of time.

In all my moving around, I have donated so much that I finally have exactly what I need — no more and no less.

To add to this, COVID-19 came around to show me that I needed even less than I thought I did — who needs 5 pairs of summer shoes and 4 pairs of winter boots? Off they go to Goodwill.

I’ve instilled self-discipline by making sure that each time I buy something new, it will replace an item from my closet which then gets donated. So, its either replace or don’t buy.

Clothes are simple — if I buy something high quality (hence: higher cost) then I expect it to have a longer life; alternately if I buy something of average quality (or: lower cost) then I expect it to have a shorter life. I balance between the two to give my closet a bit of variety to keep me from getting bored.

Now, coming to food. This may be a bit controversial, so I am interested in your thoughts.

I believe that as a society we eat too much on average. We eat hearty meals, and then we constantly snack in between! I understand those that have blood sugar issues or other medical reasons — this is not for them. But for those that eat to keep from getting bored?

Why not just feel hungry for a little while instead? Is it so bad? Properly managed, hunger can be interesting — and can tell you so much! With the right kind of experimentation, hunger can indicate when the body really needs food (for instance, after a 16-hour intermittent fasting exercise) and when it’s just bored.

Hunger can help figure out exactly the point below which your body and mind will refuse to function without eating, so that you are giving the body what it needs, and only what it needs.

I’ve eaten a single meal a day for over 10 years now. I still have cravings occasionally and do satisfy those cravings. Desserts are my weakness. But I’ve also engaged with hunger in a real way, and I do not fear it.

So, my message to you is: Consume Less.

Enough to make you function, and no more. It’s better for you, and it’s better for the planet.

I still have to figure out what to do with those gifts though.