simplify

one year. july 30 2009 -july 30 2010. my 29th year will be one which i learn to be without. no more clothes, no more jewelry, no shoes, no purses.

a month ago i was at a conference and we were working on an assignment that involved listening. i mentioned this as a goal for the coming year to those i was working without and was met with a befuddled look. why would i do something crazy like that?

is this something so strange? going for one year without buying things to accessorize my body? i have a closetfull of stuff already (make that 3 if you count the closets at my parents filled with clothes i have no room for where i live). millions of people go for years, even lifetimes without every buying a single clothing item. yes i am fortunate enought to have the financial means to buy things. do i need 20 black shirts and 30 pairs of jeans in slightly different shades?

thus i begin my year-long journey of discovery. can i resist the urge to not buy the latest pair of patent leather pumps or the latest version of the little black dress? will the materialistic society i live in manage to keep its grip on me and convince me i really need this? or can i manage to put aside my vanity and learn self-control?

what will i learn in the process? gratefulness or envy, greed or generosity? will my life be any better off with less? maybe, maybe not. simpler, for sure.