Minimalist Challenge

Lately, I've felt pretty selfish. I evaluate my life and think that I have way too much stuff. It's hard to imagine life without most of this junk, but I think it is time to learn to let go.

It's actually a challenge I've been working on for awhile. When I planned out my latest move, I decided to get rid of over 3 bags of clothing and bedding to goodwill. I also gave away a box of books I haven't read in over a year, and threw away countless amounts of pictures of people I couldn't name. I proudly sold a clarinet and organized my sheet music down to the essentials. It felt great. Today, if I buy something, I must donate a previously owned item of equal value. It cuts my spending by making me reconsider the overall purpose of the item and I feel great donating something rarely used. But, I could do more.

Out of boredom and curiosity, I've been reading about the 100 Thing Challenge. Basically, the author of the blog and book cut down his possessed items down to a mere 100. He personalized the challenge to fit is lifestyle. For instance, underwear and socks were in one category instead of having to limit himself to a disgustingly small amount of skivvies. He also didn't count items that he didn't own or were shared in his household. Oh, and groceries and purposed goods didn't count either. Just clutter got the axe.

While I dont think I could get down to 100, and I certainly dont feel too much of a frivilous spender, I could limit what I own and donate the rest. Hence, the challenge of it all. What can I live with? And what can I look at and depreciate based on my current lifestyle. Hopefully, as I sort through it all, I can let go of my attachment with stuff. And my ownership could be more based on contentment rather than pride.

I'm going to start with a list of expendable essentials, or things I need to function daily but could part with if you paid me a gazillion dollars.

First things that come to my mind as absolutely essential are my laptop and cellphone. Like most 23 year olds, I live and die by those two gadgets. I freak out if my cell dies mid day (i.e. see Monday afternoon) and my computer brings me countless of internet memes to laugh and snark at. Plus, with the help of today's interwebz, I learned how many calories were in a krispy creame cheeseburger! I teared up from a news article on a fatal shooting. Oh, and I bought Chicago Fire tickets for the Ginger and me without having to pay for a convienance fee.

Conde and McBride say, "suck it Ticketmaster!"

More importantly, I couldn't write this post without a computer or the interwebz. And I certainly couldn't write so candidly if I relegated myself to a shared public library.

Plus, have you seen what people do on shared library computers...

As for my cell, well this is more sentimental. Yesterday, I had yet another "quiet day," meaning that I had no calls, few texts, and little interaction with my coworker (who works three feet away from me). My family calls maybe once, sometimes twice, a week and our conversations never last more than two minutes. Living alone makes this "silence" last a longer and sting a bit more.

It's needy, I know, but the internet, application, and cheap(ish) phone options make it almost a drug to be connected. Just as I cant cut my power cords and phone charger lines just yet.

Banned Equality

I, like many of my friends were saddened by the passing of Prop 8. I remember being at Obama's nomination win in Grant Park and some man sadly delivering the news. It did take away some of the thunder from our liberal storm. But we knew that there would be an appeal. Mormons aren't allowed to win.

So, here I am two-ish years later, receiving the news of Prop 8 being overturned. Of course, I was excited. And the many gay couples that ride my shuttle bus to and from work were overjoyed. I swear I saw a double rainbow that day.

The next day, I spent over two hours reading through Judge Walker's amazingly poignant and straight forward ruling. If you haven't yet found it, check it out. He lays out, word for word, what equality is all about. And he chastises those who would only want to disregard marriage because of religious or moral doctrine. Even those trailer park boys with a 3rd grade reading level (that I went to high school with) could understand it.

But then I come home and read an article about the banning of a book for teenagers called "Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology." Apparently, the book was first banned in a local high school by a member of the 9.12 group, an ultra conservative, "pro-family" outfit. One complaint to a public library later, it was removed from shelves. But it wasn't just removed... it was asked to "disappear." It wouldn't even get the dignity of a book fair or a give away bin.



Why? Well, the first woman/overly concerned/brainwashed mother who got it banned cited a 9.12 blogger by calling it "pervasively vulgar, obscene, and inappropriate" and the head of the librarian who asked to Harry Potter it away cited "child pornography." The mother then stated that the book was banned "for the children."

What children is helped with the banning of this book? Of course there will be curious eyes who will get a little giggle out of it, but that's middle school for you. What banning this book does is hurt the children that are questioning their sexuality, that have no one to turn to but a book, those who are ashamed to ask their mothers directly, or those who are frightened to go on the internet and research a bit for fear they will be caught.

By banning this book, we are ostracizing those who need us most. We are not even giving a child a chance to read and discover for himself.

I remember being 14, in the midst of an extremely awkward puberty, and turning to a book called "Deal With It!" It was bright pink and featured a cartoon girl flashing the reader when you opened the book flap. Inside, it talked about everything a teenage girl goes through... from self discovery, to sexual encounters, and even questioning religion. It featured real teenage girls speaking about how they knew they were lesbians or how they dealt with embarrassing hairs done there. And while I got a good, immature laugh out of it, I also turned to that book when I needed it the most.


And with that book, I realized that it was ok to be me - that it was normal to question who I am and the irrational to rational feelings I may feel. It also told me that it was alright to deal with the hard questions and that I was never alone in my struggles.

I guess I am more upset that teenagers who need this book the most will not have access to it. They wont get to feel what a connection to the outside world is. They wont get additional help or another citation in their senior research paper on Prop 8.

It's all one foot forward and two giant leaps back.