In a world swollen with noise and velocity,
where our numbers outpace the systems meant to hold us
and technology threatens to further numb a species
already in need of deeper attunement…
In a life far too short to answer every calling,
in a culture that took me nearly seven decades to unlearn
its conditioning about worth and usefulness,
I know this much:
I could do with less.
Less accumulation.
Less clutter of things, thoughts, or expectations.
Less unconscious gathering in a society that confuses ownership
with security.
I am not suited to poverty — I know that honestly —
but how much does anyone truly need?
We pare down constantly, giving away what no longer serves.
So many people we’ve known live buried under their belongings:
sheds full, closets jammed, bins stacked,
objects forgotten under beds and houses.
Consumerism feels like a quiet sickness —
this fear of letting go.
I’ve always loved thrift stores and library carts,
finding what’s useful without feeding the endless cycle of new.
Living here means appliances rust, circuit boards corrode,
and replacement becomes inevitable, but it pains me
that our recyclables pile up with nowhere to go on these islands.
Still, I do what I can to reduce, reuse, repair, release.
And maybe that is the real answer —
to keep letting go of whatever no longer belongs to my life,
so there is space for what does.
Christmas cactus ~ bj 2025
very beautifull picture 👌
Mahalo, Neeraj! It’s a variety of Christmas cactus I had never seen before. And despite my husband knocking it over and breaking off a considerable piece when constructing the porch, 🤨, I simply stuck it back into the pot and it resulted in “This!” Glorious. 🌺
Brava, Bela. I agree wholeheartedly! 👍🏼
Took a while getting here, but here I am! And it sounds like you are here too! 😘
What could one do less of? Much more than was thought of. It is just that this realisation took several decades of living. Now less is more than more can ever deemed to be.
And isn’t that interesting? To understand how little we need, we have to live long enough (meanwhile consuming along the way) to gain that perspective. So many paradoxes in life! 🙃