Did the long weekend give you the allusion that you had time for adventures AND time to browse news and social media channels? Me too. This allusion of time to surf the web quickly led me down a path of memorial day sales convincing me I needed things, wanted things. Within a few hours and a pot of coffee, I had several browsers open at once with discounted furniture, cute things and plants; up to 50% off! I was browsing more sustainable options of course, eco-friendly! The web bots know this out about me. They have been watching and learning after all.
Did I purchase these items I had in virtual shopping carts on Memorial Day weekend?
I decided- on that Saturday morning fueled with too much coffee- to pause my purchases, leave them sitting right there in the shopping cart in the middle of the world wide web and go experience the world. If I still wanted these things, I could find them again, despite the warning of limited quantities! I went bike riding. I hiked with the dog. I cleaned the house, met with friends. I lounged around with my daughter. We did an eye bag herbal treatment thing. I read a book on leading a remote team. I planned a new backyard garden. I played and relaxed and it was luxurious. My weekend reminded me of a book a friend of mine wrote: The Abundance of Less by Andy Couturier. I felt abundant this weekend with the experiences, the company, and the learning. I had increased my vitamin D and had happy microbe dirt in my fingernails.
Monday evening, I came back to my purchases. Do I really need a cabinet to avoid the messiness of the tiny closet I share with my husband? Or do I need to reduce my clothing items (I blame Thred-Up and the pandemic for my abundance of second hand clothes) and can I part with the shirts that are so old that they've lost their form? Do I need those cute pillows cluttering up the couch? Can I find a fold out guest room couch/bed second hand? I decided that if I didn't know I needed these things before seeing ads on line, then I probably didn't need them at all. I closed the windows and bemoaned the wasted time in creating them Saturday morning.
Yet, I feel like I won a battle. Not buying things is the most environmentally aware thing to do. Stuff is stressful. It's a burden. That money I didn't spend; it might help me retire a month earlier, or pay for a fun trip in the near futu
re. It might help get my son through college! Thinking about not spending money to purchase more meaningful happiness is eco warrior level stuff. Thinking about having to clean and dispose of an item at its end of life makes me not want it.
I realize the irony of having a web presence full of affiliate links to show you more sustainable purchasing options. We do need certain basic requirements that lead to health and happiness: books, heat, food, water, shelter. But if this web presence selling stuff to support its very existence can influence you in one way and one way only it should be this: Buy Nothing.
Tuesday morning, I opened my computer for work and noticed that the memorial day sales were over but the prices of the things being marketed to me were still the same. Hmmmm...what about "up to 50% off!"? I resolved to stay strong. Are you staying strong?
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