Thanksgiving is for Thanks

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, just a little reminder that you don’t need to spend a dime this Black Friday if you don’t want to.

There will always be a sale.

There will always be “another one” at that price.

There will always be an opportunity to get a good deal.

I know this because I own a small business. I will never not have a future sale. Black Friday isn’t the end all of all sales. It really isn’t. It’s just a way to generate customer anxiety so they’ll spend their money now rather than later.

It’s a hoax.

So, spend your money another time. After you’ve really thought about what you need; after you’ve gone through your closet and seen the excess; after you realize you should buy your family and friends experiences rather than stuff; after you remember that life isn’t about things but rather the time spent with them. 

Instead of shopping on Black Friday, try making that lemon tart you’ve always wanted to attempt. Meet up with a friend for a cup of coffee. Go to the gym (you might have the place to yourself!) Write your Christmas card list or create a holiday playlist from your favorite music station to listen to. 

For me, the goal this Black Friday is to be thankful for what I already have. To let the masses out there fight with the other masses for the best deal and for me to put my feet up. To shut down the phone to online shopping and instead only leave room for happy texts and silly memes.

My plan is to chill at home for the day, take a walk, enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers and remind myself that I have everything I need right now. 

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good things - those good things being family, friends, and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.

-Heather

Thankfulness Year Round

How to Show Thankfulness in Seven Ways

Maybe it's because I'm getting older that I am more thankful for the simple things in life. Or maybe it's because I feel like my life is blessed beyond measure which creates my gratefulness for everything. 

Whatever the reason, whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I often wonder why we have a holiday like this just to remind ourselves to be thankful. 

Sure, the holiday is based on the establishment of America: the sharing of a meal between the Plymouth colonists and Native Americans of the region hundreds of years ago. It is an incredible occasion that deserves to have a holiday of its own.

But, this time of year, the influx of thankfulness memes and "month of gratitude" posts pop up all over social media and I'm a bit nonplussed by it all. 

In a small way, it feels inauthentic. After all, we are given good things all the time. There are beautiful pictures to take throughout the entire year. There are things like the celebration of health, getting through a heavy heartache with family and friends, a good meal, a beautiful sunset, or the perfect cozy blanket you just thrifted. They're all good things and they happen all the time.

So, why are we not posting that regularly? And why wait until November to list what we're thankful for?

The longer I live my minimalistic lifestyle, the more I understand why minimalism is such a fantastic life trajectory. The more I'm thankful, the less I want. The less I want, the less I need. And the less I need, the more I can focus on all the beautiful things around me. It's God revealing Himself in the details no matter how minute. 

Want to add more gratitude to your life? Here are seven ways to add thankfulness to your life all year round.

1. Send a Thank You - The craft of writing is down to practically nothing these days. I rarely write a thank you note, let alone a letter. Perhaps you can thank someone for the meal they invited you to. Maybe that birthday gift really deserves a thank you, as well. Buy a box of thank you notes and start to add more gratitude to your life one note at a time.

2. Take a Photo - Want a way to be thankful for the beautiful day, the beautiful meal in front of you, or even the most perfect sunset you've ever seen? Take a photo of it. Every time you look at it, it's a constant reminder of how thankful you were to see or experience the event. If you're like me, upload it to your social media.

3. Give it Away - Show how thankful you are to have what you have and then... give it away. Does someone like your sweater? Give it to them. I've done this before. My mom loved my sweater, a sweater I didn't wear often, so I took it off (literally) and gave it to her. She's never forgotten it and wears it constantly. She's happy and I'm happy she's happy. I'm thankful it's hers now.

4. Write a Poem - Feel moved by the sunrise yesterday? What about that hummingbird that practically sat on your hand? Write a poem about it. The great thing about poetry is that it tends to be shorter than regular prose. It forces you to be sparing and succinct with your words. Poetry is a language that reveals your heart's joy and the pen writes out of the overflow of the heart.

5. Make a Phone Call - Want to thank someone for something they've done for you? How about actually calling them. I tend to be a text kind of gal, but sometimes hearing my friend's voice - or getting to see them on a Facetime call - fills a void of connection I need so badly. Talking to them is a way I can thank them for being my friend. Imagine that? Talking to a friend!

6. Bake a Treat - Thankful for your postal worker? Bake them a treat. Grateful to have friends and do life with them? Bake something for them. It's inexpensive, fun, creative, and forces you to thank them with food. Which, for most people, is probably the best gift to give. It is a consumable gift that won't sit around and collect dust.

7. Send a Text - Thinking about someone you're thankful for? Text them. I've gotten texts like these before. They're not common, but they sure are beautiful. I still think about them... even five to ten years after the fact because that text filled an empty spot in my life. An empty spot I didn't even know I had. It made me feel needed and in turn, made me grateful for them, too. 

Minimalism has been the impetus for living the most grateful life I've ever experienced. In fact, the "meat and potatoes" aspect of minimalism is predicated on thankfulness. By being thankful with less, and loving that less with all of our heart, we then can truly see how much we have

If you're looking to show thankfulness all year (and not just on social media), learn to find the good in every situation. And if nothing goes right (which feels like that happens many days), you still have the choice to appreciate your life. There is always something to be thankful for.

Take a cue from the theme of our holiday Thanksgiving and instead of one month or one day, do it every day of the year.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Book Pairing: Gratitude Journal - I do this every day! I write a few good things in the morning and afternoon and then as more good things come in, right before bed, I add a few more.

It puts me in a continual and constant state of gratitude and makes me aware of how much good surrounds me. It's overwhelming and humbling and I can't recommend this enough.

Traveling and Staying Minimal

A few months ago, I wrote a piece about how despite my valiant efforts at keeping and maintaining a minimal wardrobe, when it came to travel, I still found myself over-packing. 

I'm sure many of you can relate. There are memes and funny videos behind this concept, reminding us that though the trip is a few days, we all tend to pack twice as much as we need (we don't want to forget anything!)

Well, after having just come back a few weeks ago from a cross-country trip, I can tell you that I'm there. Finally. For once, I did not overpack. And here's the kicker: 

• I had everything I needed
• I didn't have to buy anything I forgot
• I still felt like I could've packed less

Let me dive a little deeper. These three ideas behind my travel packing have consistently been the proverbial wrench thrown into my idealistic minimalist wardrobe. Forever. And now, I've done it. I know how to bring everything I need without bringing things I don't. 

I had everything I needed - My recent trip to Florida was four nights and five days. Hence, I would need five outfits. I chose - chose - to re-wear the same outfit flying out as I would flying back home. So, I only needed four outfits. Out of transparency, I did pop in an extra top just in case of a mishap. And indeed, that mishap did happen! The couple my husband and I were visiting had two precious dogs. Said dogs were rather boisterous in the morning as I sat down to drink my coffee and that coffee ended up more on me than in my stomach. Bless their hearts. Regardless of this fluffy canine conundrum, I really did have enough clothing. One extra top (or maybe an extra pair of pants if you tend to spill on your lap) is all the excess I needed. I literally wore and used every piece of clothing I brought.

I didn't have to buy anything I forgot - Because... I didn't forget anything. My mother and I were having a warm discussion the other day about how she always uses a packing list to pack (I can vouch for this - I can still see the several-page packing list sitting on her bed as she packed her bags for a trip when I was a little girl) and I don't. She insisted this packing list made her a better packer. Perhaps this is true. I told her I never used one and rarely forgot anything. But, as I didn't point out (because this was my mom and I love her), those packing lists are over and beyond filled with things you won't need. Like a travel iron, travel hair dryer, and travel noise machine, etc. My friend's house had everything I needed and so do hotel rooms (or hotel lobbies). Once you learn to pack and keep packing only the things you need, you learn how to pack efficiently. Less is more. As my motto now goes, "If I didn't  bring it, I don't need it."

I still felt like I could've packed less - That extra shirt came in handy, but I easily could have used a shirt that I'd already worn just as well. I packed enough but I could've packed less. So, if I wanted to pack less, I would've kept a shirt and pair of pants out and instead mixed and matched previously worn items together. That would've meant three outfit choices for five days. Frankly, this is doable and fun. A top and bottom times three of each is about nine unique outfits. This means I would've had enough outfits for nine days, not five. That's amazing.

Packing light is a learned skill. I know this because it's taken me about nine years to figure out my minimalist travel wardrobe. This trip to Florida showed me I could pack light and not be in fear that I forgot something. I have graduated from my wayward years of packing more than I needed!

Give it a try. Trying packing four outfits for an eight-day trip, or two outfits for a four-day trip. See how creative you can get. Once you realize you can do so much more with less (you won't even need to check your small bags or bag, as may be the case), time is saved, and peace of mind is restored. The best part is knowing you can have fabulous vacations (or work trips) with a small (but perfect) wardrobe.

Being reliant on your confidence - rather than an overstuffed suitcase - is life-changing.