The pilgrims struggled with harsher winter than they were used to, and they were ill prepared to survive it. They starved, and went ill. The natives, upon recognizing their destitution, provided for them so they'd live out the winter. They taught the newcomers about the heartier plants, but did not impose their lifestyle upon them. The lifestyle I'm talking about is the acute awareness of their needs, without ambition for accumulation or possession. They were simple like that. The natives took from the earth only what they needed, and nothing more. Their preparedness for travel, or for the hunt was always accessible, and at the ready. They possessed so little that entire villages would be mobile, migrating along the land, just as birds flee the winter, or bison cross the plain. The pilgrims stayed and multiplied in number. Then the greed of societal ambition forced the newcomers to betray their native caretakers. These pilgrims came seeking new lands and riches. They came with guns. They came with slaves. They conquered and expanded. They proved that the hands that feed them, can still face exile and genocide. They built monuments of industry to the sky, and filled the air with smoke, and fume.
This is one of the great dichotomies of modern society: industry, and our longing to reconnect with nature. It can be summed up by America's dark history revolving around Thanksgiving. Its that hard, and fast American free market capitalism, versus an older, humbler, and simpler, minimalist method of thriving. Minimalism was something the natives practiced for their entire existence before the white man. Although, I don't believe they gave it a name, it was just their way, and there was no other. That dark dichotomy of Thanksgiving remains in our present tense adhered like hanger on to our annual celebration. 1st we honor each other with family, reflection, appreciation, tightly huddled together in one household, accompanied by a delicious meal; and then the very next day, the great consumer chains open in the wee hours for Black Friday, so we can wet our lust of shiny things, in preparation for next month's gift giving. Its a conflicted twist of fate, that the dependents became the conquerors, and that the legacy of the conquered lingers today as our reason for gratitude: Quiet. Simple. Potent. Eternal.
Remaining grateful for the littlest things that we take for granted is the essence of Living Minimalism. Its the way of the natives. We must remember to honor that, not just on a Thursday of late November, but every day of our lives. Saying a rare 'thank you' is a nice gesture. Living from a place of gratitude is a daily life choice. Gratitude transforms that which we possess today into enough for a complete life.
Below are some guidelines to remaining grateful
1. Recognize Earth's finite bounty
Take time to welcome the trees to their dormant period. Thank them for oxygen. Realize that we'd suffocate without them. Visit a lake shore. Thank the waters for nourishment because we'd wither without them. Take a walk. Thank the soil for nutrition. For it feeds the plants, and the plants feed the animals and the dead return to the soil. Breathe in the last odors in the crisp fall air. Spend more time being fully present outside in all the seasons. Every moment of a life feels more precious, when it is connecting with earth's bountiful providence.
2. Play and laugh
I'm not sure how many of us would love to be able to give our employer the middle finger, not out of hatred, but out of disdain for the servitude that sucks the bulk of our lives away. Work that is disjointed from the natural world is mechanical, and joyless. The older we get the more it becomes an anchor chained to our well being. Consciously, we must throw down those chains, and behave as children do, if not for our blood pressure, and our sanity, for our loved ones to admire. Be outside, laugh, and do it often.
3. Watch your waste
We have commitments, belongings, and relationships to manage. Living Minimalism means we consciously how significant these are to our core values, and we do not neglect them. Some things that look like important engagements do not fit in with our life's goals. If we start sacrificing our most important things for unimportant waste, we are not being grateful, we are being neglectful. We can monitor this if we engineer our time.
4. Selfishly guard a little time alone
People who don't take breaks are not as efficient as those who do. Fatigue is one of the leading causes of errors. Errors that then need to be amended. Rest yourself frequently. Take vacations. Another important aspect of rest that is often neglected is self reflection. A few minutes at the end of a day to wonder about your actions, reminding yourself of your goals, appreciating the beauty of your dynamic life, not only maintains gratitude, but it also keeps your compass true. Many people journal. I'm still seeking my consistent method of reflection.
5. Realize you don't control the fates
Time is fickle. We specifically make plans intended to be the best times of our lives. We schedule exotic vacations. We organize weddings like we own every aspect of the entire day. Then weather decides it has its own plan, or some other tragedy strikes. On the other hand, unintended sparks might fly on a Tuesday. Try not to get discouraged by disappointments, and be ready to embrace surprises. We don't get to choose all the best moments of our lives, so be courageous enough to live in them when they happen.
6. Richly write your story
While the fates may surprise us with all of the moments of our lives, we do get to choose our actions and reactions. Even more than anything above, it’s often the script in our heads that move us into our future. When we choose to react positively, our fate becomes more positive. ...and vice versa. And when we choose to follow our bliss, shoot for our goals, and relentlessly, passionately stay on course, we often receive the types of rewards we wish for. When we choose to let the mainstream carry us, well then fate has a far mightier hand than we might like, so choose to be a collaborating writer in your story. Take some ownership of your time. And then remember to be grateful to the fates for their surprises, and remember to grateful to the fates for allowing us to have some authorship over which direction our lives are headed.
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