So, I realize that I have not blogged here for a while. I think I am finally figuring out Google+  enough and have enough connections to make this worthwhile. The concept of enough is one of the most important concepts in simplifying and enjoying life.

I often want more than i have now. More money; a better phone; another bicycle; a bigger place to live, so I could have an art studio room; a newer car; nicer clothes; more success; more, more, more.......

What happens when I get more? I'm not satisfied because because there will always be something else that I want, that I feel I need. It’s impossible to satisfy that hunger for more, because our culture is geared to wanting more. It’s consumerism, and it’s the official religion of the industrialized world.

So, I ask myself how much is enough, how much do I need in order to be satisfied? I submit that the answer is that I already have enough — possibly more than enough.

Enough doesn’t mean the just bare necessities of life. That would be food, water, shelter and clothing. It could be a house with a bed, a table, a chair, a place for food storage and preparation, a toilet, perhaps a shower. That’s not really enough.

Enough means having enough to live, and enough to be happy, and enough to thrive. For me, as I get extreme happiness from bicycling and photography, I need a bicycle and a camera. Perhaps it doesn't need to be a new bicycle with disc brakes and all, or a top of the line digital camera with interchangeable lenses, but I need a bicycle and a camera. 

For others enough may mean the need for things such as a notebook and pens, musical instruments, video technology, or a  kitchen full of pots and pans and the raw ingredients for baking. Enough would also mean food beyond just survival food — food that makes us happy, but not so much food that we are being excessive and gorging ourselves.

Enough could include cars, if those are necessary, but for some people it wouldn’t necessarily mean owning a car, especially if they don’t have kids and live close enough to the things they need, such as a grocery store or work.

Consider the following when thinking about the concept of enough.

 You don’t want to just survive, you want to thrive. You want to be good at what you do, and do what you love. You want to be passionate about the things you do, and be successful at them. What do you need in order to do that? How many tools or material things do you need to thrive?

 You need to survive, of course, but you probably don’t want to be miserable as you survive. A comfortable bed is probably important ( I’ve have sleep very well on a futon, so a “comfortable bed” doesn’t have to be an expensive one), but how many extra trimmings does that bed need in order to be comfortable? How nice do the sheets need to be? Examine your ideas of comfort and then see what’s really necessary for that comfort. Sometimes you’ll realize that only a minimum of things are needed for real comfort.

Take a look around you, and think about everything in your home. How much of it goes beyond these things that make up the concept of “enough”? Do you really need them, or do they go beyond enough? We all want things we don’t have. What are they, and are they needed to have “enough”? Why do you want them? Can you be happy, comfortable, and thriving without them? And if so, how can you give up your desire for those things?

Do you really need all the income you bring in, or is much of it to support a lifestyle that includes more than enough? For example, you might have expensive cars when only one cheap, used car is enough. Or no car at all. Or you might have an expensive home when it’s really more than enough. Or credit card debt from too many trips, too much shopping, too much eating out. If you didn’t spend all that money, and didn’t always want more than enough, perhaps you wouldn’t need as much income. There are almost certainly people living happily and comfortably on a lower income than yours. I'm not saying you should get a lesser job or go work for free, but you could give more away to those who don't have enough if you didn't have all those bills to pay or if you didn’t have to work as much, you might be happier and you might enjoy volunteering somewhere. It’s something to think about, anyway.

Lent and Enough

As I was riding my bicycle home from work late last night, big wet flakes of snow falling were down around me, coating the street, the lawns, trees and myself with a layer of white. It was beautiful. It was silent. I was content. Time seemed to stand still. The moment was enough.

In case you missed it this past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is a good time to think about living with enough. One of the things we consider during Lent is the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism. Jesus was able to resist three temptations: turning stones into bread, jumping off the temple to prove that even the angels protect him and would catch him, and worshipping the Devil to gain earthly power and fame, because the Holy Spirit nourished him and that was enough.

Many people give up certain foods and other excesses during the season of Lent. What would happen if we continued this as a practice all the time instead of just during this season before Easter? What if living with enough was the norm and excess was only an occasion.

Take This, It Is The Best I Have

from the Gospel of John 12 : Mary took a pound of costly perfume ..anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair.

In 1983 I volunteered in the refugee assistance program at St. francis Presbyterian Church in Ft. Worth Texas. One day a client approached me. We are grateful for the beautiful things people have given us," he said, "But people always say,' Take this, I don't ned it anymore.' It feels like they are giving us throw away things. it makes us feel bad. In my country we would say, ' Take this, it is the best I have.' Even if it was something simple we would give it because we thought it was good." " I see what you mean, " I said,"but here it hurts peoples' pride if they need hand-outs. So we say, 'I don't need this anymore' to make it easier to accept." --Kathy Ogle

This story raises some questions in my mind. Why do we really give left overs, things we no longer want. I have happily donated food to the food pantry that had sat in my pantry unused for months or that was an unwanted gift to me. Next time perhaps I should make special shopping trip to buy the best food that I like for the pantry. It will be hard to give away the goodies, but then I can say, " Take this, it is the best that I have."

I have a friend who lives this example. Guests in her home sleep in the master bedroom on the bed with satin sheets, are fed the best food and given undivided attention. 

How can we learn to joyfully give the best that we have? 

When have you most joyfully given to someone in need?

What allows you to give joyfully?

Does the idea of reducing my things feel freeing or restrictive?

Who do I know who are living fulfilled lives with less?

All we have is from God. When we freely give we are just passing along what has been gifted to us.

Priceless Gifts

I design gifts, put my artwork on everything from t-shirts to mouse pads. Designing is fun and buying gifts can be joyful. However it can sometimes become a duty or an obligation. I spent $50 dollars on my niece Emily's Christmas gift, now I have to spent $50 dollars on her twin sister, Madylin. Because after all a five year old will know.

I have received many gifts with little or no monetary value, but that have meant more to me than a truckload of diamonds. An unexpected card from a friend in a mailbox full of bills, regular letters from my sister, hugs, a cheerful post on my facebook page and photographs and donations to my favorite charities. A yearly or biyearly visit with a good friend.

What stops me from an act of kindness today? Why don't my good intentions and
New Year's resolutions become realities more often. What does it say about priorities in a world of too much that makes these gestures of kindness so noteworthy? Why is someone surprised when I hold open a door for them?

I resolve (again) to do one unexpected act of kindness every day.

In a world of enough there is enough kindness, enough joy, enough hospitality and enough nurturing to go around. That is something that I can make happen now.

Enough, what a concept!

"Give me neither poverty nor riches. Give just enough to satisfy my needs" Proverbs 30: 7


ENOUGH , what a concept! Our culture constantly tells us that we need more. More is better. You must have this... and that and the other thing! I often ask, "How can I afford to live?" The point of this blog is that if we all use only what we need and waste nothing, there is then enough for everyone. A Simple Idea.... enough for everyone. Enough food, clothing, recreation, family time, quiet time, time with God. But what is enough? That is what this blog explores. In theory. In Practice. In experience. Come and take this trek with me into a world of enough.