5/27/20 I am listening to a Podcast currently. Two people are having a conversation. One person is a blogger, while the other is a minimalist. One just said, "I wish I had started earlier". I feel like I hear that a lot and those words always motivate me to do something with my life. My life might feel boring at the moment, but in a matter of months we could be back to our busy, hectic, stressful lives. I have the time right now, so why not make the most of it? However, the podcast continues and a man says, "I feel bad for teenagers. They have access to the internet and social media and can express any thoughts they want". Yes, I can express what I want. I type these words carefully as now thoughts are flooding my mind. Am I too young? Is it possible to start too early? Will I regret this, or appreciate it in the future? I do not know the answer to these questions and probably won't for another 10 years or so. But, I want to practice living intentionally, and I think this is the best way to do it.
I have been decluttering my phone as this is essential for me to get the newest ios update. Of course, there are other motives too. I am looking back at old pictures, videos, and messages as I ask myself, "does this spark joy?" I have cleared out a lot from my phone but still have much to do. I went from having over 2,000 pictures in my camera roll to under five hundred. I feel freedom from letting go of "material things". I have been decluttering my room as well and have found the "need" for more things disappear. I keep things that have a purpose and I use daily, or that bring me happiness, but that is all I want in my life.
I notice a lot of people shopping online during this time. Whether that is because they are bored, insecure, or just because it is so easy to look something up, enter some numbers and press "buy". We unfortunately live with such an awful linear economy. I hope that changes to a circular economy. I personally have even caught myself looking at things on Amazon. I remind myself often there is no need for impulse buying. We always say "reduce, reuse, recycle" but nobody seems to notice why it is in that order. We do not need to buy something just because it comes in recyclable packaging. Sure, that's a better alternative to soft plastic in most cases, but it is not "the end-all, save-all solution". Remember first, reduce: Reduce what you "need". If something will only spark joy for a matter of minutes and then turn that craving for material things into an even stronger feeling, it is not worth having. Then reuse: buy something second hand if at all possible. It's cheaper, just as easy, and best of all, gives that item a second life.
So in conclusion, if you got to this point, yes I am going to continue this blog at least for the time being. I might only be fourteen but my mistakes are important too. And if I look back at this in a few years and have regrets then hey at least I learned something. I am going to end with a quote I read yesterday while decluttering my phone: "When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important."~Ellen Degeneres
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