Skip to main content

Less stuff more living

I've been reading this blog, Far Beyond the Stars, a blog about living minimally, and the quote "less stuff more living" came to mind.

That's how a family in Denmark described their life, after an interviewer commented on how small their home was. A home half the size of the average home in the US, without a lot of stuff, but a home none the less, and one that seemed quite comfortable for a husband, wife and two kids.

That interview happened quite awhile ago, but that statement has stuck in my mind all this time. (It also came up while talking with the couple from Germany we met at the Aureole Wine Weekend.)

It just got me thinking about how materialistic we have become in the US. Even myself, although I don't consider myself overly materialistic, or one who strives to impress anyone. Yeah, we have a lot of the usual stuff, including a 52" wide screen LCD TV, with built in surround sound (we watch a lot of TV), but that's pretty much the only over indulgence. Oh yeah, there are my two bicycles (which I do get significant use out of), but they're very likely worth more than the 3 cars I own (at least two of them anyways).

And I almost forgot about our house, which, admittedly is bigger than we need. I would move, but it would likely cost more to do so, but more importantly it would be too upsetting for the cats, and I wouldn't do that to them.

Beyond that, there isn't much I would call anything extravagant, and there really isn't much else I want or crave for, except for maybe a new bike, but I really consider that more a necessity than a luxury.

Okay, I think I'm starting to get a little long winded here, but I wanted to point out that guys blog. I really think it would do everyone a lot of good to follow at least some of his advice.

And on an unrelated [but related to this blog] note, it seems I've dodged a bullet for now. I'm happy to report my platelet count is back to within the normal range at 168 thou/cumm. WHEW! Finally after a week of being a nervous wreck, I can at last relax [at least a little].
Labels:

Comments

Ed Dignan said…
great news about the platelet count. Keep dodging that bullet
3:23 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more