Currently I am in South Africa, sitting in a little house, without heat, and I can’t get warm. Living with less is more than just living out of a backpack. Living with less also means that when it’s cold out, and you live in a house with no heat, you put on everything you own to stay warm. This year, I thought I was going to struggle with the heat, so all I packed was a pair of sweats, pair of socks, thin sweatshirt, and a 45 degree sleeping bag. I thought I was so smart when I decided to bring a 45 degree sleeping bag. Figured I’d spend many months sleeping on top of it sweating my butt off. But many nights, I have curled up into a ball, with my teammate’s coat on, trying to warm myself enough to sleep. So many Americans don’t mind the cold. When it’s cold we pile more blankets onto our beds, start a fire in the fireplace, or turn on the heat. Many times this year I have found myself with no extra blankets, no fireplace, and certainly not any heating system. Did you know that [enter correct percentage here] of people live without the necessary comforts to keep warm in the winter? Just last Thursday our church delivered blankets to grandmothers in the community. They were overjoyed to receive them. Living with less sometimes means lacking basic necessities.
Let me move on, this blog is about more than just being cold. I could continue complaining that living with less = living in lack, but I found all the opposite to be true. Some of the most joyful people I’ve met have been mothers living in a one-room house or little children running around with broken shoes. People do not allow their poverty to define their attitude. What we may look at with disgusted eyes is the only thing they know and all their neighbors are in the same situation. As I visit houses in different countries, I try not to offend each family. It’s hard, but when a family is pulling out their best, I don’t want them to think it’s not good enough. One time in Swaziland, this woman pulled out a mat for my team to sit on and as she unrolled it 50-100 cockroaches scattered. She beat the rug out before sat down. Then my team shooed away a few more as we sat. She apologized for the cockroaches and I felt bad. I didn’t want to show my discomfort with cockroaches because she had deal with them on a daily basis.
As I sit here at the end of the race, I can’t believe how long I’ve been living out of a backpack. I’ve worn the same seven outfits all year long, worn clothes multiply days in a row without care, gone without washing my one towel for weeks, and realized people can live off less. I won’t deny how excited I am to return to my closet and enjoy the abundance that we have in America. But I also have realized that living with less isn’t a punishment. I’m not saying everyone should give all their possessions away or feel guilty for having excess. But, we could all admit that possessions don’t equal love, or joy, or satisfaction. If you like to read, check out the book More or Less by Bob Goeff. It’s about a family who decided to look at the idea of excess and do something about it. It’s a short read with practical ways to live with less.
