LESS IS BEST

Our looks change with age and we are told to lighten up on the make up and no harsh dark hair colors---apparently they make us look older.


Photo Credit-Dailymail.UK

Perhaps that is the reason I kept coming out of the hair dresser blonder and blonder.  Thankfully I have finally remedied that situation.  The focus on makeup should be less and subtle to not draw attention to those visible signs of aging.(I beginning to sound like a paid advertisement)  No violet eye shadow, no magenta lined puffed up lips, no extra long false eyelashes.  LESS is BEST!




There is an entire new culture emerging among the young of "Minimalist".  Recently a friend was telling me about her off-spring and their family.  If a new article of clothing is purchased, one must be given away.  A new toy for the birthday requires selecting one to give away.  Going to the grocery store and buying two bell peppers because they were two for $1 is not acceptable if only one is needed.  They are on a mission to limit themselves to one bag of trash a week.  Admirable--save the planet---take care of the environment--stay away from the consumer trap.



In my lifetime, I have encountered the hoarders who lived through the depression and World Wars.  They kept everything---and I do mean everything---years of Sears & Roebuck catalogs---used aluminum foil which they washed and saved---all the twine off every package---all the rubberbands around the newspapers---all the feed sacks--all the paper sacks--all the newspaper.  You NEVER know when you might need them--so they kept it all---just in case.





Then came my generation---definitely filled with consumers of the highest level.  The retail world exploded and we became shoppers extraordinaire (well not me).  Acquiring became a avocation.  More clothes, more cars, more conveniences, more --more--more.  We have so much stuff--the stuff and its care begins to rule our lives and we have to add storage facilities to store our excess stuff.  It is not enough to take care of one house---we add a second and even a third home to the list.  There eventually comes a day when we are spending all our time maintaining our stuff, and even forget what we have it has become so over whelming.




And now the dawn of another generation--those who frown upon all these excesses and shake their heads at their over the top parents.  It has become a game to see how little space one can live within.  Your home is 600 sq ft--well I have a "Tiny Home" which is only 200 sq ft and if you calculate the cost per square foot probably cost 3X what yours did.  It is all a vicious cycle and never any winners.

Balance---the key is balance.  Balance leads to time to remember the things of greatest importance.  All our possessions have no lasting value---no eternal consequence.  Somewhere in the middle is the answer---an obsession with minimalism is as time consuming as caring for the excess.  Moderation in all things allows time for those things which truly matter--those with lasting and eternal import.


Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
Philippians 4:5








10 comments

  1. A friend of mine is always quiet. He is a conversation minimalist. You know, Lulu, this minimalism thing has gone too far. I hear there is now even a dwarf shortage.

    Time was in the late 80's that minimalism spread into restaurants with "Nouvelle Cuisine". You got a plate with almost nothing on it and you paid a fortune. I remember taking cl;ients to a posh restaurant in London and the minimalist waiter poured a couple of drops of wine in my glass for me to tatse and approve. I told him: Come on my man. Fill the glass. What do you think I am? A little bird?

    Even conversations on text and e-mail have gone minimalist with people writing LOL (whatever that means) and CU soon, OMG and othe abbrevs ... (C? I can do it 2).

    Last Christmas I was truly minimalist. I sent out Christmas cards with nothing written on them. To make it more fun, I did not put a stamp on the envelope either. So the recipients had to pay a fine to the postman.

    It was really funny when we met friends at parties afterwards and they mentioned they'd received cards with no messages and no stamps. I was minimalist and did not even smile - but laughed it all off when we got home.

    God bless.

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    1. My first laugh of the day- thank you, Victor!
      Blessings, My Friend!

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  2. Oh oh...guilty on the darker hair color...my girl uses a non chemical hair color for me (thanks to cancer--I have to go chemical free) and this time, it turned out way darker...so different than the normal auburn color...anyways...some people just need to age gracefully, just saying...lol

    I hear ya...smiles. Thanks for a thoughtful post...I just can't think of anything to say, as that photo of Cher has ---well...never mind. LOL

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    1. My second laugh of the day! Cher- you gotta admit she makes a statement! And you do NOT qualify as an older woman my college friend!
      Blessings , My Friend!

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  3. Add renting to the list. A recent report on national news said millennias are renting clothing,bikes,housing,etc. Why own, just rent and return.

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    1. Interesting, Ronny, I had not heard that. I am strongly against renting anything you use on a regular basis. I guess this points out the difference in the generations. I recently had someone tell me they could not wait to sell their home and rent a place. They wanted all the responsibility to fall on the landlords back. Interesting philosophy--but good luck with getting the landlord up to speed.
      Blessings, Friend!

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  4. My biggest concern for today is it seems most young people have also gone minimalist in their spiritual aspirations. Instead of trying to please God by having faith in Jesus Christ, many want to fill that spiritual hole with a fad to help them feel relevant. (Done that myself and understand the emptiness.) I guess what I'm trying to say is, following any fad will leave one wanting. They're empty and will never fill us. Follow what Christ teaches us in His Word, serve others, have faith in Him, and so forth, and the emptiness will disappear.
    Hope your day is blessed Lulu. ~:)

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  5. Hi Lulu! You are so right about balance. I would also add an ability to see the bigger picture.
    That photo of Cher is interesting. Is red eyeshadow a new thing? Have mercy, I know I can't carry that off!
    I was just at the salon yesterday having my hair cut, and my stylist always compliments my hair color. It's gray. I mean, I'm happy with it, but I think it's hilarious that stylists compliment all their customers.

    Love the idea of self patrolling the clutter. I look around the house and I can't believe how much junk we have. My husband likes to hold on to things, and I like to throw them out. I told him that when he dies, I'm getting the biggest dumpster I can find, and it's all going!!
    Wednesday blessings,
    Ceil

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    1. Once upon a time my marriage looked exactly like that. Divorce is a big incentive to ditch the stuff, Ceil. I shudder when I think if the truck loads of stuff I had to discard. The good news-I am staying lean & my kids will thank me when I leave this life!
      Blessings, My Friend!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!