Minimalism

May you have the courage to heed your own compass, to draw your own maps. — Nadia Bolz-Weber

I read a lot about minimalism and living with less, and lately I’ve been noticing advice to reduce my activities and goals.

Reduce the number of goals you are striving for in your life to one or two. — Joshua Becker

To-Do List: 1. Make list in order of priority. 2. Rip list in half and throw out the bottom. — Courtney Carver

Look at an object, a commitment, a habit. Does it bring tranquility or increase your well-being? If not, let it go! Not an easy path, but a simple one. — Joshua Fields Milburn

With such obviously excellent and truthful advice, why do I find it impossible to follow?

Move, Play, and Learn are the three categories of doing that I believe are essential for me to live well. And within each of those categories I have a number of activities, none of which I’m willing to let go.

Courtney Carver also says, “We are each in different stages of life and simplifying looks different depending on life stages and lifestyles.”

I’m in my sixties — 66, to be precise. My kids are launched, I’m fortunate to have no need of paying work, and no one depends on me for a lot of time-consuming care. A little, yes. But much of the time each day is mine to spend as I wish.

Also, I do not have an impressive list of lifetime accomplishments. No advanced degree, no profession (I worked mainly in nonprofits), no claim to any worldly importance.

I do, however, have some experience that confirms mainstream advice on how to age well and live well while aging. Most people in my stage of life ignore most of this advice. I’m rather obsessive about following it.

Move — Keep my body and mind healthy, which means vigorous exercise every day.

Play — Practice the hard skills that need to be in place for an activity to become playful.

Learn — Continually push my growing edges outward.

One of those growing edges these days is learning how to simplify.